"Don't be afraid, I'm here." Hermione sat on the edge of the bed, gently stroking her long hair.
Lia didn't respond, but only reached out and tightly grabbed the corner of Hermione's clothes.
She closed her eyes, but her mind uncontrollably replayed the scene of Lucius being tortured; the pain was so real that her nerve endings began to ache faintly.
Under the dual effects of Danger Intuition and the Eye of Truth, she saw not just images, but the flow of energy and the wailing of souls.
Lord Voldemort's magic was a darkness that fed on hatred and pain.
For the next few days, the atmosphere at 12 Grimmauld Place was suffocatingly oppressive.
The date for Harry's hearing was set, and members of the Order of the Phoenix came and went, their faces etched with solemnity.
Harry was finally allowed to come downstairs, but he was like a powder keg ready to explode at any moment, full of resentment toward everyone, especially Ron and Hermione.
Lia spent most of her time in the room with Hermione.
She tried hard to control the sudden "visual connection," but with little success.
Scenes of Lord Voldemort would always intrude into her mind unexpectedly, each time accompanied by a strong surge of negative emotions.
Hermione, meanwhile, tirelessly flipped through the dangerous Dark Arts books in the Black family library, trying to find any traces of information about soul connections and Horcruxes.
Adopting the stance of a researcher, she recorded every one of Lia's visions in detail, including the time, content, and the intensity of Lia's emotional fluctuations.
"Look, his anger is cyclical," Hermione pointed to the records on the parchment, analyzing them for Lia. "After each time he punishes a subordinate, his emotions have a brief period of calm.
This shows his power isn't infinite; performing torture also exhausts him."
Lia nodded as if she understood; as long as Hermione was by her side, listening to her clear analysis, the fear originating from her soul would mostly dissipate.
Finally, the day to start school arrived.
Mrs. Weasley insisted on personally seeing them off at King's Cross Station.
Moody and Tonks were responsible for the escort.
The platform was bustling with people, and the whistle of the steam train echoed through the air.
Hermione pulled Lia along, Ron pushed the luggage cart, and Harry walked ahead with a sullen face.
Sirius, in his Animagus form as a large Black dog, followed quietly beside them.
Just as Lia was about to step onto the hogwarts express, her footsteps suddenly faltered.
She snapped her head back, looking toward the flowing crowd.
At that very moment, her Eye of Truth was triggered passively.
The whole world faded, leaving only a gaze full of spite and hatred that pierced through the crowd and fixed onto Harry's back.
Following that gaze, Lia saw a man.
He wore a well-tailored suit, his face flat and pale.
Lord Voldemort.
He had actually appeared here in person.
Lia's heart suddenly stopped beating, and the blood in her body froze.
She wanted to scream a warning, but the suppression originating from the depths of her soul left her unable to move or make a sound.
Those eyes noticed her prying, slowly turning to meet her gaze in mid-air.
There was no anger, no surprise, only a cold indifference as if he were looking at a dead object.
Then, he gave her an extremely slight upturn of the corner of his mouth.
It was a silent, mocking smile.
The next second, the illusion vanished.
The world regained its color, and the platform was as noisy as ever.
The man had already disappeared.
"Lia? What's wrong? Get on the train!" Hermione pulled her, asking in confusion.
Lia turned her head stiffly, forcing a smile.
She shook her head and didn't speak, following Hermione's lead onto the train.
Hermione looked at her worriedly. Although she didn't know what had happened, she keenly sensed that Lia's stiffness just now was definitely not for nothing.
She guessed that Lia had seen something terrifying again.
But she didn't press her, only silently tightened her grip on Lia's hand and led her to an empty compartment.
Neither side spoke of it.
Hermione thought Lia didn't want her to worry.
While Lia was indeed worried.
She was afraid that saying that name would immediately draw the gaze of those crimson eyes.
For the first time, she realized so clearly that the connection between her and Lord Voldemort was two-way.
She could see him, and he... perhaps could also sense her.
Lia didn't want her friends to suffer because of her.
She didn't know if it was the influence of Tom's fragment.
Lia suddenly found that, facing such a complex crisis...
She was unexpectedly calculating... how to win.
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