Animagus transformation was one of the most difficult forms of magical transformation. It required demanding conditions and came at a considerable cost, but in return, it provided an extremely sophisticated form of disguise.
Malfoy's ability to distinguish between McGonagall, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew had largely been due to his foresight.
But now, the plot had gone completely off track.
He could never have imagined that Hermione's obsession with uncovering the truth would be so deep that she would go to such lengths.
This was what was meant by a blind spot.
However, Hermione's surveillance also had its limitations. There were some classes she simply could not skip, and her available time was restricted.
She spent a great deal of her free time here.
For example, today, while Malfoy was away, Hermione dragged her body around the office, rummaging through drawers and cupboards in the hope of finding some evidence.
However, just as she tried to open a cabinet, a mountain of chocolate came crashing down on her.
The plastic wrappers rubbed against one another with a rustling sound.
The pile hit her so hard that she became dizzy.
"What are you doing?"
Malfoy's voice suddenly came from behind her, his tone impossible to read.
Hermione's body immediately stiffened.
She gently scraped aside the chocolate blocking her vision with her paw and saw him crouching slightly, scrutinizing her from head to tail.
Hermione regretted her recklessness.
She had acted before her body was properly prepared.
"Could it be…"
Malfoy hesitated, then stopped himself.
Hermione's heart leapt into her throat.
Had her recklessness been discovered?
"Going into heat?"
Malfoy's question nearly made her choke.
"???"
Hermione's entire body stiffened.
If she weren't in her Animagus form, her face would probably have turned bright red.
"But isn't it spring now?"
Malfoy quickly shook his head, dismissing the thought.
He actually had the illusion that the cat was shy, which he found rather amusing—as though it were genuinely intelligent and capable of understanding human speech.
"Are you hungry?"
"Want some?"
Malfoy casually picked up a piece of chocolate, tore open the wrapper, and held it out.
Hermione hesitated for a moment.
Should she go along with it, or disdainfully push it away with her claws?
Then she suddenly remembered that chocolate was highly poisonous to cats and dogs.
Should she pretend to have been poisoned after eating it?
Was this a test?
Had she been discovered?
Just as her paw was about to touch the chocolate, Malfoy immediately withdrew his hand.
"Cats and dogs can't eat chocolate."
A fleeting, delighted smile appeared on his face before he pulled the chocolate back and took a bite himself.
It seemed that teasing animals was quite interesting.
"What a perverse sense of humour."
Hermione couldn't help rolling her eyes.
The gesture looked strangely adorable when performed with a cat's body.
Then she realized that their opposing positions no longer seemed quite as strong.
She shook her head, forcing herself to view him as an enemy again and remain vigilant.
Malfoy opened another cabinet and took out a white cloth bag.
"The dried fish that little girl prepared for you earlier."
He threw the bag in front of Hermione.
Hermione, controlling her own body, remained indifferent.
Seeing that the cat still didn't move, Malfoy took out his wand and heated the food.
"Heated it up. Eat it."
The cat in front of him still seemed completely indifferent.
"What? Do you want some seasoning?"
"A cat can be quite happy."
He sighed.
"Or rather, carefree animals are all happy."
He could now say that he somewhat understood the hobbies of cat lovers and cat enthusiasts.
This particular cat seemed quite obedient, unlike those arrogant and pretentious cats, and it didn't meow very often.
If you disturbed its rest, it wouldn't turn you into cat meat, but it would still kick you out.
Hermione reluctantly nibbled at the dried fish, playing the role of a punching bag.
She had seen him, though.
Occasionally, he revealed the nature of a young man.
That was extremely rare.
He was usually serious and indifferent, and even his occasional smiles seemed stiff.
Perhaps people lowered their guard when they believed they were dealing with an animal that possessed little intelligence.
Did he really think she was in heat?
It was still awful.
That wicked smile was repulsive, and it was so boring that he even entertained himself by teasing a cat.
It had broadened her horizons.
But she persisted, carrying out her surveillance day after day.
As the surveillance continued, his life seemed extremely regular.
Yet from time to time, he would disappear from everyone's sight.
Every day, between half an hour and an hour would disappear from his schedule in the office.
Highly suspicious.
After disappearing, she would often see him wearily push open the door, his face pale and his expression haggard.
He would sit back down in his chair with unsteady steps, his body reeking of chocolate, and mechanically stuff the chocolate bar in his hand into his mouth.
Chocolate could be considered a delicious snack.
But for him, eating it seemed more like torture and torment.
Chewing.
Swallowing.
Mechanical repetition.
His eyes tightly closed as he endured it.
Buying so much chocolate, only to eat it all himself.
She had thought about accompanying Malfoy, but every time she went out, she could no longer find him.
He would disappear without a trace somewhere down the corridor.
After being "teased" several times while rummaging through the drawers, Hermione eventually gave up searching for evidence.
There really weren't any valuable clues.
Now she mainly focused her energy on observation.
She saw Pansy make excuses to visit Malfoy several times.
Sometimes she asked questions.
Sometimes she helped with homework.
Sometimes she simply came over to chat.
"They don't seem as close as I imagined?"
Hermione occasionally thought this.
Then she would realize that she seemed to be daydreaming.
Her purpose wasn't to pry into Malfoy's private love life.
Occasionally, she also had to cooperate and accept Pansy's caresses.
She gradually got used to it.
Several months passed.
Today was the same.
Malfoy, dressed in the black-and-green robes of a Slytherin teacher, strode into his office, tossed his black umbrella into the corner, and looked travel-worn.
Tiny droplets of water flowed down his light-golden hair, splashing onto the table and spreading into thin streams.
He took out his wand and quickly dried himself.
Then he leaned back in his chair.
His slender index finger tapped rhythmically against the desk.
Hermione kept an eye on him during lessons.
He maintained a blank expression throughout.
But in private, he was completely relaxed around her.
Of course, much of that was because she appeared before him in her Animagus form.
Malfoy had now fully accepted the fact that he had a cat living in his office.
Sometimes, Hermione also noticed that when Pansy came over, the boy would adjust his demeanour accordingly, forcing a smile and pretending to be relaxed.
In all this time, she hadn't seen him do anything else particularly strange.
However, it was obvious that he was behaving strangely today.
"Come here."
Malfoy beckoned to Hermione.
"What is he going to do?"
Hermione unconsciously wondered, then became pessimistic about her fate.
She hadn't gathered much intelligence over the past few days, but she had been fed quite a lot.
She hadn't dared to weigh herself.
She suspected she had gained quite a bit of weight.
"If you don't come over soon, there won't be any dried fish for us today."
Malfoy threatened her.
"I don't want to eat it either."
Hermione thought helplessly.
But she still manipulated her body as though she genuinely understood him.
She twisted her body, placed her chubby paws on the ground, and lightly leapt onto the desk.
They stared at each other in silence.
She wagged her tail and nervously waved her paws, trying to hide her nervousness.
"Having a pet does seem pretty good."
After looking at each other for a while, Malfoy smiled with satisfaction and muttered to himself.
He found an inexplicable sense of relaxation in the cat.
Then he quickly took a knitted sweater from the cabinet.
With a wave of his wand, the yarn slowly unravelled from the hem of the garment.
It gradually and neatly twisted together, forming a ball of wool.
"Come on. Use your cat-themed weapon."
He threw the ball of yarn toward her.
Hermione had no choice but to cooperate.
Feigning curiosity, she pawed at the ball, getting herself tangled in the yarn several times and deliberately making a fool of herself.
The ball-of-yarn performance had practically become a daily routine.
"Mr. Malfoy? Are you there?"
Just then, a clear and cheerful voice suddenly came from outside the door.
"Come in."
Malfoy's slightly hoarse voice came from inside, unlike his usual deep, magnetic voice.
"Be careful. If you spill the ink, I'll probably be eating cat meat today."
He gently tapped Hermione's somewhat messy fur on the head.
Hermione chose to accept her fate.
At the same time, the rotten wooden door creaked open.
A head of long, wavy, light-golden hair cascaded smoothly over the girl's shoulders.
Her usual sleepy, dreamy expression was gone. A faint smile graced her face as she lightly stepped over the threshold, gently closed the door, and turned to wave at Malfoy.
"Welcome to our home."
Malfoy frowned slightly, then quickly relaxed and smiled.
"Miss Lovegood? To avoid suspicion, I think you should leave the door open. Or you could call someone else. You can't be alone with me."
"Isn't there a cat too? And doesn't Miss Parkinson often spend time with you? Is she the exception?"
Are all substitute teachers this cautious?
"Teacher-student relationships are usually caused by an imbalance of status. Even if they are genuinely in love, they would still be unacceptable to society."
Luna suddenly straightened her expression and spoke seriously.
"Even if there are genuine feelings, they will be interpreted as coercion by the person in the position of power."
"You think about a lot of things."
Malfoy's expression stiffened for a moment.
The girl's jumping thoughts and the string of questions she threw out of nowhere left him at a loss for words.
"Of course."
Luna said this cheerfully.
"So many Muggles write about this. It's really interesting. I've even studied it. Do you want me to recommend a few books? Which female student do you like?"
"I don't like any of them."
Malfoy replied coldly.
"Compared with male teachers using their power, I'm actually the one who poses a threat to you, so don't take it so seriously."
"If I break the contract, you'll be upset, right?"
She tilted her head, seemingly unconsciously touching the earring on her right ear.
She wore no earring on her left ear.
The matching earring was kept on Malfoy's person as a medium for the Promise Rune.
"Of course."
Malfoy shrugged.
If Luna really leaked the information, failure would be practically inevitable.
"So, are you going to make a request of me?"
"Of course not. You're under a lot of pressure."
Luna spoke considerately.
"Your smell is even stronger now."
Luna took a few steps closer to Malfoy, then suddenly stepped back.
"Expecto Patronum!"
Luna gently waved her wand.
A fluffy, silvery-white mist condensed from the tip of her wand and formed the shape of a rabbit, gently circling Malfoy.
"I feel much better."
She patted her chest.
"Am I being rejected?"
Malfoy asked with a helpless smile.
"That's right."
Luna didn't seem concerned about his feelings at all.
"All right. Tell me why you've come."
Malfoy smiled.
"Goodbye."
Luna shook her head slightly several times.
"Your intuition is still quite sharp."
Malfoy's smile faded.
"How did you discover it?"
"I can tell from your expression what today's lesson was about."
"Is everything done there?"
"We can finish today."
Hermione listened to their conversation, completely bewildered.
"Malfoy is leaving?"
But she still managed to pick out the key words.
It had gone from simple reminiscing and chatting to saying goodbye.
Hermione immediately tensed.
She flicked her tail, knocking over the ink bottle.
Black ink spread messily across the table, about to soak the parchment lying nearby.
"Don't you want those claws anymore?"
Malfoy turned his head and glanced over casually.
He took out his wand and waved it lightly.
As though time had reversed, the spilled ink flowed back into the bottle.
"What's the name of this cat?"
Luna, also drawn by the commotion, turned to look and casually asked.
Then she froze.
Her gaze fixed on the cat as though drawn toward it by a magnet.
"This cat…"
"Is there anything strange?"
Malfoy noticed Luna's expression.
"No, no."
But Luna's mischievous smile hardly suggested that she wasn't surprised.
"When are you leaving?" she asked.
"Soon."
"From here? When, exactly?"
"I can leave immediately once you're gone."
"You don't seem too keen on spending time with me."
"Because I feel like I have no secrets when I'm with you."
"Okay."
Luna pursed her lips slightly, a smile playing at their corners.
"By the way, Miss Pansy will be sad."
"I've already told her."
"Oh?"
When had he become so honest?
"Partial honesty is necessary. There's no point hiding it from her anymore."
Malfoy shrugged.
"Well then, I wish you good luck?"
Hermione was completely stunned.
Things had progressed far too quickly. She was still dazed and hadn't fully processed their conversation.
Then she saw Malfoy pick up his black umbrella, push open the door, and leave.
He was leaving already?
The few words she had just heard only deepened her suspicions, but she felt overwhelmed and unable to make sense of them.
She wanted to follow him immediately.
But every time she had tried before, she had returned empty-handed.
Luna gradually approached her, leaned down, and whispered into her ear:
"If you want to follow him, he should be in the Forbidden Forest."
"It's not too late."