The feeling of returning to Hogwarts was completely different from any time before.
When Hermione held Lia's hand and walked up the spiral staircase leading to the Headmasters Office, every portrait they passed stopped talking.
A portrait of The Fat Friar even dropped the wine glass in his hand to the bottom of the frame with a soft "clink," then hurriedly covered his mouth, fearing he might disturb the center of the walking storm.
The soreness in Lia's body hadn't fully faded yet; it was a "punishment" mark left by Hermione's undeniable tenderness, reminding her of the price of running away from home.
Every twitch of her muscles carried a trace of tingling afterglow, making her involuntarily tighten her grip on Hermione's hand.
The wizarding ladies in the paintings stopped waving their fans, and the knights stopped polishing their armor; they all turned their heads in unison.
Watching Lia with a gaze mixed with awe, curiosity, and fear, as if witnessing a walking legend with their own eyes.
Opening the door to the Headmasters Office, the atmosphere inside was just as heavy as lead.
Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, fingers interlaced, his half-moon spectacles reflecting the flickering candlelight, making it impossible to see the emotions hidden deep in his eyes.
Harry and Ron were also there; when they saw Hermione and Lia enter, their expressions appeared extremely unnatural.
Ron almost reflexively shrank back half a step, his Adam's apple bobbing violently.
He instinctively reached for his wand, but found nothing; his hand froze in mid-air, looking incredibly awkward.
In his mind, he uncontrollably flashed back to that white lightning in the Department of Mysteries—Lia rushing toward Lucius at an inhuman speed, the spells along the way collapsing as if hitting an invisible wall.
That wasn't a Wizard's way of fighting; that was an apex predator hunting its prey.
He could even recall the metallic scent of magic bursting in the air and those blue eyes locked onto the prey.
Meanwhile, Harry opened his mouth, a complex mix of emotions welling up in his heart.
There was relief for his friend's safe return, frustration at being crushed by her power, and even a hint of relief at having a burden lifted—a feeling he was unwilling to admit even to himself.
He looked at Lia, who was being tightly protected by Hermione, and a voice in his heart said: 'Maybe... maybe I don't have to face him alone anymore.'
This thought brought him a wave of relief, followed by deeper shame.
He wanted to say something, like "welcome back," but the words only turned into a dry cough when they reached his lips.
In the end, he just awkwardly scratched his messy hair.
They had both witnessed that earth-shattering battle.
They knew Lia was powerful, but they didn't know she was this powerful!
The Cat-girl who usually only clung to Hermione and acted spoiled, wagging her tail like a windmill for Dried Fish, could actually trade Killing Curses with her bare hands, forcing even the arrogant Dark Lord to temporarily retreat.
This scene completely overturned their understanding of Lia, and even of the entire world.
"Sit down, Hermione, Miss Lia," Dumbledore's voice broke the silence, carrying a hint of imperceptible fatigue.
Hermione pulled Lia to a chair and sat down, her arm never letting go of Lia's hand.
She could feel that the complex gazes around them made Lia a bit uncomfortable; the tip of the snow-white tail behind her twitched unconsciously, wrapping more tightly around Hermione's calf.
"First, I have some news to tell you," Dumbledore spoke calmly. "Cornelius Fudge resigned from the position of Minister yesterday."
This news was not surprising.
"His successor is Rufus Scrimgeour, the former Head of the Auror Office."
Dumbledore continued,
"He is a man of action, tough and decisive. The Ministry of Magic has officially recognized Lord Voldemort's return and has entered a state of war."
"Then they..." Hermione immediately caught the point, her voice wary, "What is their attitude toward Lia?"
Dumbledore's deep blue eyes finally looked up from behind his lenses and landed on Lia.
That gaze was as deep as the sea, piercing through her skin to look directly at the dark vortex coexisting with the light deep in her soul.
"They are panicked."
Dumbledore said slowly,
"In panic, the Ministry of Magic always makes some foolish decisions.
In their eyes, Miss Lia is both the hero who ended that night's disaster and a... huge risk, more incomprehensible and uncontrollable than Lord Voldemort."
His tone became serious.
"Scrimgeour sent someone to contact me this morning; he hopes the Ministry of Magic can 'take over' Miss Lia,
to conduct a comprehensive'study' and 'evaluation' of her to determine her 'controllability' and 'utility value'."
"Again?!" Hermione's voice instantly rose, visible ripples of magic dissipating from her, making the silver instruments on the desk hum.
Anger burned in her eyes; she was already used to this.
The Ministry of Magic seemed to have some morbid obsession with Lia, always harboring unrealistic fantasies about her, acting as if they could actually control an existence that even Lord Voldemort could do nothing about.
To put it bluntly, a magical creature that could trade Killing Curses with Lord Voldemort—
if she was willing to sit here quietly and talk to them now, they should get on their knees and thank Merlin!
"Lia is not an object! Not a weapon that can be studied!" Hermione stood up abruptly like a lioness protecting her cub, shielding Lia completely behind her, every word squeezed from between her teeth as she declared, "She is mine!"
The tip of Lia's tail, wrapped around Hermione's waist, hooked slightly.
She looked up at the back of Hermione, whose shoulders were trembling slightly with anger; a surging warmth rose in her cold heart, and the corners of her lips curled into a very slight smile uncontrollably.
As long as Hermione was there, she feared nothing.
"Of course, I refused them."
Dumbledore raised his hand, a gentle magic soothing the agitated air, signaling Hermione to calm down.
"But, Hermione, we must face a more severe problem."
His gaze turned to Lia; before he spoke, waves had already risen in Lia's heart.
She could feel that since that day, the memories, knowledge, and even the thought patterns belonging to Tom Riddle in her mind had become clearer and more active than ever before.
They were no longer occasional, painful fragments, but like a vast and gloomy library organized overnight, with all the books categorized and sitting quietly in the depths of her consciousness.
She felt she had become the sole owner of this library, able to walk into any area at any time and flip through those forbidden texts on the Dark Arts, social maneuvering, and strategy, while the ghost among the pages could no longer whisper seductive words.
Dumbledore seemed to see through her changes, his voice kept very low: "Your duel with Lord Voldemort, that clash of Killing Curses, was like a thunderclap, completely awakening that sleeping soul fragment within you."
"Lord Voldemort must know by now that a part of his soul has been consumed by a powerful magical creature and is deeply bound to the soul of another human Wizard."
Dumbledore's expression became more solemn than ever.
"What will he do? He will do whatever it takes. He will either find a way to take you away and strip that part of the soul to use for himself again;"},{
"Or he will do whatever it takes to completely destroy you, to prevent you from becoming the ultimate weapon used against him by me or anyone else."
He looked at Harry, who had suffered for years under the weight of the prophecy, then at Lia, who was as calm as water, and said something that caused the temperature in the entire office to plummet.
"From now on, Miss Lia, you have truly replaced Harry as Lord Voldemort's number one target."
The entire office fell into a suffocating silence.
Harry felt the burden he had just put down weighing on his friend in another form, making it hard for him to breathe.
Ron's face was as white as paper; a traditional Wizard like him seemed to have a natural fear of Lord Voldemort.
Hermione's face instantly turned deathly pale; she gripped Lia's hand, her knuckles turning bluish-white from excessive force.
She wasn't afraid of Lord Voldemort, but that bone-deep fear was that Lord Voldemort would hurt Lia again.
She could feel her heart pounding wildly in her chest, every beat striking a drum of despair.
At this very moment, Lia clearly tasted that overflowing bitterness called "worry" from Hermione through the soul link between them.
She didn't like this taste.
A crisp, calm, and even [somewhat pleasant] voice suddenly rang out.
"Defense is useless; offense is the only way."
Everyone looked toward the sound and found that the one speaking was actually Lia.
She slowly stepped out from behind Hermione, not seeking Hermione's protection, but instead walking to Hermione's side to stand shoulder to shoulder with her.
She held Hermione's cold, trembling hand in return, warming her with her own body heat, her thumb even gently stroking the back of Hermione's hand—a silent reassurance.
She looked directly at Dumbledore, those sky-blue eyes showing not a hint of fear or confusion, only a calm smile as if she were in control of everything.
These words carried a heavy, cold style belonging to Tom Riddle.
But the blue in Lia's eyes remained clear, and the will behind these words clearly belonged to Lia herself.
One could hear a pin drop in the office.
Dumbledore gazed at Lia for a long time; behind his half-moon spectacles, a flicker of true astonishment flashed for the first time in those all-seeing blue eyes.
What he saw was no longer a magical creature in need of protection, nor a poor soul tainted by darkness.
But a nascent, calm, and dangerous player in the game.
The kitten found with the Book of Admittance at the edge of the Forbidden Forest years ago had become this powerful.
Appreciation and worry clashed fiercely in his eyes, finally turning into a complex sigh that no one heard.
[Everyone who finished reading, give me a reminder to update!]
[Otherwise, I'll tie you up just like I tied up the Cat-girl!]
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