As expected, Kate caught a cold the moment she left the Headmaster's office.
"I just don't understand," Hermione nagged as she escorted Kate to the Hospital Wing. "In this freezing weather, how could you go out wearing only two layers?"
Kate rubbed her reddened nose, fighting back the urge to sneeze, and defended herself in a whisper, "I didn't expect the Headmaster's office to not even have heating..."
Hermione's voice hitched. It seemed she couldn't exactly march up to Dumbledore right now and demand he warm up the room for the sake of a student's cold.
"Fine, I'll bring it up when I have the chance," she conceded.
She glanced at Kate, who looked ready to argue further, and ushered her into the Hospital Wing. "Madam Pomfrey, could you please prescribe her some cold relief potion?"
"I'll need to examine her body first before doing anything of the sort," Madam Pomfrey said, planting her hands on her hips without hesitation. "Please wait outside, alright?"
Thus, Kate watched as the little lion, who had been baring her fangs and claws just a moment ago, transformed into a docile kitten, bowing her head obediently and walking out.
Before Kate could laugh, she saw Madam Pomfrey standing before her with hands on hips. "Let me see. The little one who was just discharged yesterday is back again today!"
Kate froze as she was hoisted up by the matron, who began checking her body from top to bottom with a wand.
Given the special nature of her constitution, what should have been a simple cold checkup took half an hour.
By the time Hermione was nearly frozen stiff waiting in the corridor, she finally saw Kate walk out, looking as if she had lost the will to live.
"How did it go?" she immediately leaned in to ask.
Kate smiled bitterly. "I drank the cold relief potion. I just need to go back and sleep."
However, due to previous events, her monthly routine checkup had now turned into a weekly task.
"Now you know to keep warm, right?" Hermione stuffed a warming jar and a stack of parchment into her arms. "You missed classes these past two days. These are the backup class notes I organized for you."
Kate blinked in a daze. "This..."
"Although you've already finished learning the first-year curriculum, reviewing the old provides new insights—that's what you told me before!"
Hermione pushed the parchment into her arms without allowing any argument, afraid Kate might refuse. As soon as she finished speaking, she dragged Kate downstairs.
It wasn't until she had escorted her all the way to the entrance of the Slytherin Common Room that Hermione stopped, panting slightly. She turned around to see Kate still staring at her blankly.
As if remembering something, a slight blush rose on her small face, and she turned her head away awkwardly. "What are you still staring for? Go back and rest!"
"...Oh." Perhaps the cold was affecting her thinking, but Kate felt her head spinning a little.
After speaking the password to the stone wall in front of her, she turned back to instruct, "I'm going in then. You should go back early too."
Hermione let out an exasperated laugh. "I know, just go in and rest!" Saying this, she gave Kate a gentle shove, pushing her into the Common Room.
That little girl... it was rare to see her act so decisively.
Pushed inside, Kate looked back in confusion. The effects of the cold relief potion surged up, making her feel even more drowsy.
Unable to think too much, she went straight back to her dormitory, hugged the warming jar Hermione gave her, and fell into a deep sleep.
With Dumbledore's endorsement, the parents did not send a barrage of letters.
The teachers, in addition to their teaching duties, began searching for the so-called "outsider" every day.
As for the young wizards, some were particularly interested in the guy who had wrestled a troll and sabotaged Harry's broomstick—of course, such students basically only existed in Gryffindor.
Consequently, Filch's workload increased every night.
Knowing the inside story, Dumbledore merely had the teachers strengthen their patrols and did not implement any other defensive measures.
Overall, the atmosphere in the school remained harmonious and happy.
After her cold improved a bit, Kate returned to class. The class notes Hermione gave her were kept well-preserved in the drawer of her dormitory desk.
Time passed in the quiet of school life, and soon, Christmas was approaching.
According to custom, the school would have a few days of holiday, and students could choose to go home or stay at school.
Harry and Ron chose to stay, while Kate and Hermione filled out the forms to go home for the holiday.
The day before going home, Kate agreed to help them assist Hagrid in moving the Christmas decorations into the Great Hall.
"That really is a gigantic fir tree." Even when she saw the giant tree Hagrid was preparing to move at the grounds, Kate couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
Harry excitedly jumped in front of Hagrid. "This is Kate. Her Levitation Charm is very powerful; I think she can definitely help you move the tree!"
"But Kate's health isn't quite fully recovered yet. Is a tree like this a bit too much of a strain?" Hermione asked with some concern.
Kate didn't mind. She could lift a house right now, so a Christmas tree like this was naturally not a problem.
She cast the Levitation Charm, and the fir tree slowly left the ground. Under the amazed gazes of the group, it drifted toward the Great Hall.
"This is too exaggerated..." Ron looked at the tree, which was thicker than he was, with an exaggerated expression. Then he looked at the calm-faced Kate beside him and couldn't help swallowing his saliva.
How on earth had he managed to retreat in one piece after provoking such a terrifying person before?
Hagrid nodded, also quite surprised. "With this, decorating the Great Hall will be much faster—so, where are you all planning to go next?"
"The library," Kate answered casually.
She certainly just intended to read books, but the other little lions didn't think the same way.
"Kate is going to look at upper-year curriculum, but we're different," Harry said happily. "We've been trying to find out who Nicolas Flamel is!"
Nicolas Flamel?
Kate, who had been focused on moving the tree, turned her head to look at them chatting away behind her.
Has the plot progress already reached this point?
But Hermione had actually never told her about this.
She turned back, looking at the huge fir tree in front of her. Her originally decent mood sank slightly. She quickly transported it into the Great Hall, put it down, and walked away.
"Everyone," she called out loudly to the group still chatting behind her, "I still have luggage to pack, so I'm going back first."
Harry, who was still trying to get information out of Hagrid, froze and turned his head in confusion. "What's wrong with her?"
She was fine just a moment ago.
"Didn't she say? She has to go back and pack her things." Classic clueless Ron shrugged his shoulders.
Hermione stared at Kate's figure disappearing into the snow, her expression suddenly changing. "I think I forgot to tell her about the Nicolas Flamel matter!"
"Huh? Is Kate such a petty person?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Ron consciously shut up.
He still remembered that time during Flying Class when Kate used her broomstick to ram him.
From a certain perspective, she was petty. Very petty.
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