Draco Malfoy was publicly humiliated by having his wand snapped, and a "pet" had exposed his deepest fears with the most vicious words.
This news spread like a Golden Snitch with wings, reaching every corner of Hogwarts in just one afternoon.
The House of Malfoy's ornate Hawthorn wand, with its small peacock feather decoration on the handle, had always been Draco's pride, and it was privately nicknamed "Peacock" by the students.
And now, that nickname was attached to those two pathetic pieces of broken wood.
"Have you heard? Malfoy's 'Peacock' was snapped by Hermione's cat!"
"More than just snapped, they say Lia performed a manual wand-tearing on the spot, quick and clean!"
"I heard the most brutal part was Lia whispering something in his ear, and Malfoy was so scared he wet himself and ran away crying!"
The rumors grew more and more outrageous, but the core facts remained exceptionally clear.
Draco Malfoy, the head of the Inquisitorial Squad, had been completely humiliated by a Gryffindor "mudblood" and her cat in a crushing display.
In the Gryffindor common room, the atmosphere was incredibly lively.
The Weasley Twins even stayed up all night to produce a batch of badges that made a crisp "crack" sound.
They depicted a "Peacock" with scattered feathers, broken in the middle; with a single press, they would emit a sharp snapping sound, drawing roars of laughter from everyone.
However, amidst this celebration, Lia felt a faint sense of crisis directed at her.
Early the next morning, as the first rays of sunlight spilled through the windows of the Gryffindor Tower, the rapid flapping of owl wings broke the silence.
A haughty-looking long-eared owl belonging to the Ministry of Magic dropped a roll of parchment onto the plate in front of Hermione, who was eating breakfast.
Hermione unfurled the parchment; the handwriting was in a sickeningly sweet pink ink.
[Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four]
To maintain the purity of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the safety of its students, upon the proposal of Madam Dolores Jane Umbridge, senior undersecretary to the Ministry of Magic, and as approved by the Ministry of Magic, this decree is hereby promulgated:
Effective immediately, all "Companion Magical Creatures" registered at Hogwarts, regardless of their danger classification, must undergo a "one-on-one Adaptability Assessment" conducted by the senior undersecretary herself.
The assessment includes, but is not limited to: obedience testing, potential aggression screening, and affinity testing for dark magic.
Should the assessment fail, or if the guardian refuses to cooperate, custody of the creature will be temporarily transferred to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures under the Ministry of Magic until it is deemed "completely harmless."
This decree takes effect immediately.
——senior undersecretary to the Ministry of Magic, Dolores Jane Umbridge
The moment Hermione saw the notice, the depths of her brown eyes froze into eternal ice.
Sitting beside her, Lia's [Eye of Truth] had already been passively triggered.
On that parchment smelling of cheap perfume, she clearly saw two distinct yet intertwined threads of magic.
One was Lucius Malfoy's silver-green thread, cold and venomous like a viper, filled with the joy of revenge.
The other was Umbridge's greedy, slimy pink tentacles, dancing excitedly and emitting a strong desire to "possess" and "destroy."
It was a trap.
A scheme where Lucius provided the motive and backing, and Umbridge was responsible for the execution.
A blatant trap tailored for her and Lia, aimed at tearing Lia away from her side forever.
Hermione's fingers gently squeezed Lia's hand beside her.
She didn't look at the nauseating notice, but leaned close to Lia's ear, her soft lips brushing against the furry cat ears.
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