Bang—!!
Hermione slammed the girls' dormitory door shut with all her might. The massive sound shook a bit of dust from the windowsill and completely cut off all the noise and prying eyes from the common room.
The dormitory was empty.
But Hermione had no mind for anything else at this moment.
"Come here." Hermione's voice was raspy and tense.
The cat ears on Lia's head drooped limply.
She could clearly "smell" the burnt scent of fear, anger, and despair on Hermione, a scent even more intense than the stench of a Troll.
Her Hermione was being repeatedly tortured by a form of torment called "fear of loss," and she was on the verge of breaking.
Lia obediently walked up to her.
Hermione reached out a trembling hand, stroking the brand-new collar around Lia's neck almost neurotically.
Her fingertips traced the gold and red patterns of the Phoenix feather over and over, confirming that it was the only line of defense capable of blocking the Reaper.
"Don't talk to Krum ever again!" Hermione's voice rose sharply. "Or anyone else I don't know! The way they look at you is no different from how Harry looks at the Golden Snitch! They all want to steal you away from me!"
Lia's cat ears twitched uneasily, but she didn't respond with a nod or a cheek rub as she usually did.
Under Hermione's gaze, this Cat-girl, who usually liked being passive, took a proactive step forward. She opened her arms and pulled her tall "owner" into a tight embrace.
She pressed Hermione's head against her fragrant soft flesh, gently stroking her bushy brown hair over and over, just as Hermione used to comfort her.
The roles of protector and protected had quietly swapped.
"Hermione," Lia's voice was clear, carrying a strange, soothing power. "Hermione, don't be afraid... I'm here. They can't take me away."
This soft yet powerful call completely broke down the last dam Hermione had built with her reason.
"How could I not be afraid!"
Hermione's face was buried deep in Lia's milky-scented softness. Her voice finally carried an uncontrollable, broken sob, and hot tears instantly soaked the front of Lia's clothes.
"Dumbledore said you would be assimilated! You'll turn into... into a monster whose very soul is possessed!"
"Do you have any idea what that means?! It means you'll completely disappear, Lia!"
Lia didn't say anything, only tightening her embrace.
She wasn't afraid of Lord Voldemort; in her perception, that noseless bald man wasn't powerful.
Hermione's fear, however—this pain rooted in "love" and "fear of loss"—was a chronic soul ailment she had never seen and was powerless to heal.
After a long time, Hermione's sobbing gradually subsided.
She raised her eyes, red and swollen from crying, and held Lia's small face, commanding word by word.
"Promise me, Lia. At any time, if anything feels wrong, tell me immediately. We'll figure it out together, okay?"
"I promise you."
Lia didn't hesitate, affectionately nuzzling Hermione's palm with her cheek.
Having received the promise, Hermione finally squeezed out an exhausted smile.
She leaned down, pulling Lia onto the bed and wrapping her arms tightly around the warm, soft body from behind.
Only with this skin-to-skin contact, feeling the steady breathing and heartbeat in her arms, could her frantic heart find a moment of peace.
The night deepened, and all was silent.
Hermione fell into a deep sleep in her extreme exhaustion.
And Lia, without any warning, fell into an inescapable nightmare woven by another soul... In the void of darkness, the ground beneath her feet was cold and smooth as a mirror.
An elegant and magnetic voice sounded in her ear, carrying a bewitching magic.
"Look at you, my poor little kitten. Possessing such great talent, yet willing to be locked in a collar by a mudblood girl, kept like a pet."
Lia whipped her head around and saw the handsome silhouette of a young man formed from a blurry black mist—it was exactly the Tom Riddle from the diary.
She backed away warily, baring her sharp fangs: "Where is this?"
The young man laughed, his laughter filled with condescending contempt: "She cannot even overcome her own fear; how can she protect you? She only uses so-called 'love' to bind you."
"Keeping you as a harmless little cat curled in her arms forever. Do you really like this so much?"
The black mist churned, and the young man's image transformed into a terrifying, noseless man.
"But I can give you true freedom and power."
Lord Voldemort's voice became raspy and majestic.
"You devoured my soul, and I shall crown you, making you the King of the new world. All Wizards shall kneel at your feet!"
"Even if you are unwilling, from the moment you ate me, we became one!"
"And you cannot refuse me."
Visions of power unfolded before her eyes: she sat upon a throne of bones, her every word a command, all things submitting to her.
Harry, Ron... everyone was prostrate on the ground, looking up at her in awe.
In that moment, Lia's pupils clouded over for a second, and a flash of longing that did not belong to her actually flickered in her eyes.
In that instant, the black mist seized the opportunity, transforming into countless bone-chilling venomous snakes that coiled around her limbs and soul, trying to drag her completely into the abyss!
"Ah—!"
In reality, a shrill, inhuman scream erupted from deep within Lia's throat!
The body curled in Hermione's arms began to twitch violently.
Visible to the naked eye, black threads carrying the scent of sulfur and decay emerged frantically from her forehead, swirling around her body and manifesting into blurry, spiteful faces that let out silent mocks!
The temperature in the dormitory plummeted to the freezing point!
"Lia?!" Hermione was instantly jolted awake, the bone-chilling cold making her hair stand on end.
She looked down and saw the most terrifying scene of her life—Lia's eyes were tightly shut, her face covered in sweat and tears, her jaw clenched.
And that ominous black mist was attempting to drill back into her orifices to complete this malicious possession!
Almost simultaneously, the Phoenix Feather Collar around Lia's neck suddenly became as hot as a branding iron, bursting with a gold and red divine radiance!
"Skree—!"
A divine Phoenix cry from the dawn of the world exploded within Hermione and Lia's souls!
The divine radiance turned into flowing molten gold fire, constructing a sacred barrier over Lia's body that pinned the writhing black mist firmly in place!
The black mist slammed against the barrier unwillingly, letting out not a sizzling sound, but the shrill shrieks of countless vengeful spirits being scorched by holy fire!
"Get... out!"
Hermione's eyes were bloodshot; she had no time to recall Dumbledore's teachings!
Whatever "the most powerful magic is love," whatever bullshit theory, it was all thrown to the back of her mind!
Only one most primitive, most savage thought remained in her mind—
Even Lord Voldemort shouldn't think of touching what's mine!
Wand? Spells? At this moment, they all seemed so laughable and sluggish!
She was her own strongest weapon!
Hermione practically lunged forward, pressing her lips fiercely against Lia's cold, pale ones with an intensity that was almost like a bite!
Hermione poured all her warmth, all her love, all the will and magic named "Hermione Granger" through this kiss, without reservation and with absolute dominance!
"Lia, wake up! Look at me!" she roared her name over and over through their Soul Link.
"I am Hermione! Your Hermione! Without my permission, no one can take you away from me! Do you hear me!"
Hermione's scorching magic violently joined the fray!
The gold-red Phoenix light received reinforcements from this "love" magic, and the light flared brilliantly, manifesting a lifelike phantom of a fire Phoenix from behind Lia!
The Phoenix spread its wings that blotted out the sky, tightly enveloping the two of them.
The Phoenix let out a majestic cry, and those filthy black threads were completely purified and burned away in the holy fire.
Not even a speck of ash remained!
"Ugh..."
The violent twitching stopped abruptly, and Lia's body went limp as she opened her eyes, which were as blue as the sky, in confusion.
"Hermione...?" Her voice was raspy and fragile, carrying the daze of having survived a disaster. "I... I had a dream..."
She looked at the tearful Hermione close at hand, a flash of complex emotion she hadn't even noticed herself flickering in her eyes.
"I dreamed of a man with no nose, he said..."
Lia paused, her voice so low it was almost inaudible.
"...He said he would make me a king."
Hermione's heart clenched fiercely. She stared intently into Lia's eyes, and after confirming there was no longer a shadow of another person within them...
She kissed her again, but this time it was more gentle and lingering.
After a long time, their lips parted.
Hermione pressed against her forehead, her voice trembling.
"He won't succeed."
"Your throne is only here with me."
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