Outside the Headmaster's Office, the spiral staircase wound upwards, its stone handrails glinting coldly in the dim light.
The gargoyle statue guarding the side slid automatically to one side upon sensing their footsteps, as if it had been waiting there all along.
Pushing open the heavy, carved wooden door, Dumbledore was sitting quietly behind his desk, while several silver instruments silently puffed out wisps of pale smoke.
Hearing the movement, he took off his half-moon spectacles, his gentle gaze falling upon the newcomers, hiding a hint of knowing weariness within.
He did not speak, but simply raised a finger to point at the two high-backed chairs in front of the desk.
Hermione sat down with a tense expression, while Lia leaped lightly onto her lap, the tip of her tail brushing anxiously against Hermione's arm.
"I hope that the next time you have an important discovery, you can choose to come in the morning."
Dumbledore rubbed the space between his eyebrows, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness, "This hour is not very friendly to an old man's heart."
"But Professor Dumbledore! Snape, he..."
Hermione's voice rose with urgency, filled with confusion and the bitter taste of betrayal.
Dumbledore's gaze moved past her shoulder, becoming distant and profound.
"Some sacrifices are inevitable, Miss Granger. All of his actions are for the ultimate victory. I ask that you give him that unspoken trust; we will properly handle those overt conflicts."
His words sounded light, yet they fell upon Hermione's heart as heavy as boulders.
At that moment, Lia suddenly stood up from Hermione's lap, her snowy-white cat tail swaying gently like a stiff feather.
She jumped silently to the floor and walked to Dumbledore's desk, her small nose sniffing carefully in front of him.
A clear scent entered her nostrils—it was the smell of decay—a will to die that only an old, dying beast emits when digging its own grave.
Lia looked up, her pure blue eyes staring directly at Dumbledore, her voice crisp.
"Are you planning to use your own life as the price?"
The air in the room suddenly stagnated; even the dancing flames in the fireplace seemed to pause for a moment.
Hermione looked up sharply, first staring at Lia in astonishment, then casting a gaze full of suspicion toward Dumbledore.
She looked at Dumbledore, her eyes full of a precarious plea.
Dumbledore's hand, holding the jar of lemon drops, paused slightly in mid-air.
He withdrew his gaze and looked solemnly at Lia.
The girl's eyes were as deep as an ancient well, as if they could pierce through the grimy veil of fate.
He fell into silence, and this silence itself was the most cruel answer.
After a moment, Dumbledore sighed helplessly, his voice low and raspy: "Good child, sometimes, having perceptions that are too keen is not necessarily a blessing."
His gaze did not deny it; there was only a heartbreaking, heavy admission.
"No!" Hermione suddenly sprang up from her chair.
She rushed to Dumbledore, her hands pressing firmly on the edge of the desk.
"Professor! What do you mean by that?"
She tried her best to keep her voice low, but the unease was already threatening to surge out from her heart.
Dumbledore did not respond to Hermione, his gaze falling once more upon Lia.
Letting out a long breath, he looked up, his gaze passing over Hermione's trembling shoulders to look out the office window—deep within the Forbidden Forest, a dark green silence reigned.
"Voldemort's power has already exceeded our estimates. His soul is already fractured, with a portion residing within Horcruxes. To completely defeat him, all Horcruxes must be destroyed, and that is by no means an easy task."
"My time is running out," Dumbledore's voice was low. "Life constantly fades with time; I cannot let Voldemort perceive my weakness, as that would make him even more frenzied."
Hermione's pupils shrank, and her body swayed slightly.
She had never imagined that the powerful Dumbledore, the pillar of Hogwarts, would face such a situation... "I need Professor Snape to stay by Voldemort's side and gain his unreserved trust. Therefore, in the end, Snape will personally... end my life."
"This is our joint plan, Miss Granger."
"Only in this way will Voldemort see Snape as his most loyal servant, and only then can we buy precious time for Harry and for you all to find and destroy all the Horcruxes."
Dumbledore's voice was terrifyingly calm, yet it carried a tragic weight sufficient to crush both people present.
Hermione stumbled back and slumped heavily into her chair.
The great sage she admired so much was actually calmly planning his own death, using it as a winning chess piece; this was a scenario she had never envisioned.
Lia's tail flicked impatiently against the desk, making a light 'thwack' sound.
She was not as sorrowful as Hermione; her thoughts were immersed in the vast and chaotic ocean of Tom's memories, rapidly searching, calculating, and comparing.
A moment later, she reached a conclusion.
"Voldemort is not yet worthy of a sacrifice like yours."
When Lia spoke, her voice was still crisp, but by the time Dumbledore and Hermione looked over, she had transformed into her human form, standing quietly behind Hermione, her hands resting gently on her trembling shoulders to convey bodily warmth.
Hermione looked up blankly at Lia.
Lia straightened her back, her sapphire-like eyes looking directly at Dumbledore.
"In the world of us beasts, if a certain creature merely has foul habits but limited strength, it still remains in the position of prey, at the bottom of the food chain."
Her voice was calm, but her expression carried the confusion of someone looking at an old man who had made a common-sense error.
"I truly cannot understand how a person, merely by being evil enough, can make you all so fearful. In terms of strength alone, he is far inferior to you."
"Furthermore, he fears you from the bottom of his heart. In the deepest part of his soul, he has always believed he could never compare to you."
Dumbledore leaned forward slightly, the gentle expression on his face gradually fading.
His gaze became sharp, yet without a hint of anger.
He had long known Lia was not simple, but the perception and perspective she displayed now once again exceeded his expectations.
"From where did you learn this?" Dumbledore asked.
A faint smile appeared on Lia's lips, one that carried a hint of playfulness and cunning unbefitting her age, even mixed with a touch of the mockery she had learned from Tom.
Hermione really wanted to interrupt Lia and tell her not to learn everything, but she also knew now was not the time.
"Tom. He told me."
She answered nonchalantly, her words devoid of fear toward the soul fragment within her, possessing only a certainty of complete control.
"Tom Riddle's memories are not entirely darkness and sin. He craved knowledge, delved into spells, and pursued power; in this regard, he is quite similar to Hermione."
Lia said slowly: "The knowledge Tom possesses is far more than you imagine."
Hermione's eyes widened, momentarily forgetting her sorrow.
It sounded as if she had already completely mastered this content, rather than being eroded by it.
Lia's blue eyes remained pure as she looked up, her slender back held straight, a strong confidence entirely at odds with her petite frame radiating from her.
"The practice at the Order of the Phoenix over the summer break meant far more than the practice itself," Lia's tone was incredibly certain. "I sparred with them—elite Aurors from the Ministry of Magic, senior members of the Order of the Phoenix... their spells, combat styles, and even the weak points in their magic flow, I have grasped them all clearly."
She gave a light wave of her cat-clawed hand, and a ball of magic, as solid as a pearl, condensed at her fingertips.
The magic leaped wildly at her fingertips, its form changing rapidly, finally turning into a small white cat emitting a pure aura, which began washing its face in mid-air.
"The Avada Kedavra curse is not impossible to withstand, and the Obliteration Curse is not without a way to be broken."
Lia's words were calm and certain, carrying a power that made one's heart tighten.
She looked at Dumbledore again, her gaze not that of a child showing off, but an assessment and judgment from a top predator to an equal.
"I have seen Voldemort's strength with my own eyes; I can dismantle and analyze his spells; I can also find his weaknesses."
Lia stood beside Hermione, every word resonating with power.
"With a bit more practice, once I have completely mastered the use of those spells... perhaps, I too could defeat him."
Her gaze was as cold as frost, revealing an almost arrogant, powerful confidence.
The resilient will forged from giving up on life on that cold street corner and then being tempered after resurrection made Lia's personality and beliefs more independent and firm than ever before.
A very complex light flashed in Dumbledore's eyes.
It was a mixture of approval and deep concern.
He gazed at Lia, clearly feeling the power in her words; this confidence did not come from nowhere, but was built upon tangible insight and ability.
Hermione's heart was full of shock; she had never seen Lia look so sharp and formidable.
She subconsciously reached out and tightly grasped Lia's cool hand.
Lia turned her head and rubbed her cheek against the back of Hermione's hand, the sharpness in her eyes instantly turning into tenderness, full of dependence and affection.
Dumbledore slowly set down the jar of lemon drops and re-evaluated the Lia before him, his gaze as deep as the starry sky, rapidly weighing a new possibility that could overturn the entire course of the war.
In the end, he still could not make a decision immediately.
To let students, to let a child bear all this, even if their strength had already surpassed that of ordinary Wizards, Dumbledore found that he ultimately could not be so cold-hearted.
He sighed tiredly, planning to wait for Snape to return before having an emergency discussion with him.
"Very well, children, this matter... I will reconsider it."
Dumbledore finally issued a dismissal, his voice carrying an unprecedented hesitation, "The number of times you two have run to my office lately is almost catching up to Harry."
"Go and enjoy this rare, peaceful school life for now."
He tiredly stroked his long, silvery-white beard.
"Because even I cannot say for sure... how many days remain before the war truly breaks out."
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