Ron's letter was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating a ripple named "Hogwarts" in the warm summer afternoon of the Granger home.
The agreement to go to Diagon Alley next week caused the fire of a top student to reignite in Hermione's eyes.
A few days later, a solemn-looking owl finally brought the official notice.
Hermione unrolled the parchment list, her finger sliding across each line.
"Break with a Banshee, Gadding with Ghouls, Holiday with Hags, Travels with Trolls, Voyages with Vampires, Wanderings with Werewolves, Year with the Yeti..."
With every book title she read, her eyes brightened a bit more.
At the end of the list was a long string of Gilderoy Lockhart's masterpieces, seven in total, each quite expensive.
"Oh! Merlin!" Hermione let out an exclamation mixed with excitement and admiration. "Professor Lockhart is going to be our new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor! This is wonderful!"
Lia was lying on Hermione's lap, feeling a bit dizzy from the excited rise and fall of Hermione's chest. She looked up, her azure eyes filled with confusion.
She didn't understand what was so exciting about a pile of paper with words printed on it.
But she could feel Hermione's happiness, so she followed suit by gently sweeping the tip of her tail against Hermione's arm, letting out a satisfied purr.
The day for the shopping trip soon arrived.
The Grangers drove Hermione and Lia to the Leaky Cauldron. The Weasley Family was already waiting there, with Ron waving excitedly.
"We're taking the floo network! It's the fastest way!" Arthur Weasley greeted them warmly.
He grabbed a handful of grey powder from a flowerpot on the mantelpiece and handed it to Hermione.
"Floo powder?" Hermione hesitated slightly. She had read about it in books and knew this method of travel wasn't friendly to beginners.
She looked at Lia, who was peering around curiously.
"Lia, you'd better turn into a cat and hold on tight to me," Hermione instructed seriously.
Lia gave an obedient chirp, and her body shrank in a soft glow, turning into a snow-white Ragdoll Cat, her four paws hooking tightly onto Hermione's robes.
"Be sure to state the destination clearly! Diagon Alley!" Molly Weasley reminded loudly from the side.
Harry and Ron disappeared into the green flames one after another.
It was Hermione's turn.
She took a deep breath, grabbed a handful of Floo powder, and stepped into the fireplace. The cold, lifeless fireplace made her feel a bit uneasy.
"Diagon Alley!"
She threw down the powder.
Boom!
The dark green flames instantly engulfed her.
Lia felt as if she had been thrown into a crazily spinning washing machine. Countless fireplace exits flashed before her eyes, and soot and heat waves rushed frantically into her nostrils, making her almost choke.
"Meow!"
She let out a terrified shriek, her claws instinctively gripping even tighter.
Hermione only felt a sharp pain in her chest, but she had no time to check as she was thrown out of a fireplace by a massive force.
Thud!
She fell clumsily to the ground, coughing, her vision a blur.
"Hermione!"
Harry and Ron hurried forward to help her up.
"I... I'm fine..." Hermione waved them off, immediately looking down to check on Lia in her arms.
The little kitten's condition was much worse than hers.
Her snow-white fur had been dyed blackish-grey by the soot, looking like a little coal ball just pulled out of a chimney. Only those blue eyes were still somewhat clean, though they were now wide with shock.
She was trembling all over, unable to say a word, only clinging tightly to Hermione and burying her face in her clothes as if it were the only safe harbor in the world.
"Oh, you poor little thing," Molly said pityingly.
Ignoring the soot on herself, Hermione gently patted Lia's back, soothing her softly.
Only when Lia's trembling subsided slightly did she look up to survey her surroundings.
They were inside Borgin and Burkes, a gloomy place filled with an ominous atmosphere.
Lucius Malfoy and Draco were standing not far away, looking them over with eyes that seemed to be inspecting merchandise.
Hermione immediately became alert, holding Lia tighter, and quickly followed The Weasley Family out of the place.
Diagon Alley was still bustling with people.
Their main destination for this trip was Flourish and Blotts.
Before they even reached the door, they saw an exaggerated banner: "Gilderoy Lockhart Book Signing!"
The bookstore was packed to the rafters, the air thick with the scent of new book ink and the sweaty smell of excited people.
A huge life-sized portrait of Lockhart hung in the center of the bookstore, winking at everyone and revealing a set of sparkling white teeth.
"We have to get in!" Hermione's top student soul burned brightly as she pulled Harry and Ron along, beginning to push through the crowd with difficulty.
Lia was irritated by the crowding and noise; she hated the feeling of being pushed and shoved by the flow of people. She could only bury herself deeper into Hermione's arms, expressing her dissatisfaction with her ears and tail.
Finally, Hermione squeezed her way to the very front row.
Gilderoy Lockhart himself sat there, wearing forget-me-not blue robes, his hair meticulously styled, and a smile even more brilliant than the one in the portrait.
A short, stout photographer was holding a large camera emitting purple smoke, frantically pressing the shutter.
"Let him through, madam, this is for the newspaper..."
Lockhart was enjoying the feeling of being the center of attention. His gaze swept through the crowd and suddenly fixed on Harry Potter's lightning scar.
Then, he noticed the girl next to Harry, holding an exceptionally beautiful snow-white Ragdoll Cat.
A brilliant news idea formed in his mind.
"Isn't that Harry Potter?" Lockhart shouted loudly.
The crowd instantly became restless, and everyone's gaze focused on Harry.
Lockhart strode over, grabbing Harry's arm without a word and pulling him to his side, then looked warmly at Hermione.
"Oh, and this clever young lady! A top student from Gryffindor at a glance! And look at this adorable little kitten, it must be the Gryffindor mascot!"
He pulled Hermione over as well without allowing any refusal, making her and Harry stand on either side of him.
The photographer's flashbulbs flashed frantically.
"Smile, children!" Lockhart put his arms around their shoulders and announced loudly to the lens, "Harry Potter and his little top-student fan! Together, we shall become the most beautiful scenery at Hogwarts!"
Hermione's cheeks flushed with excitement.
Harry, on the other hand, was so embarrassed he didn't know what to do with his hands and feet.
Lockhart was clearly very satisfied with his arrangement. He looked down at the snow-white Ragdoll Cat in Hermione's arms, which didn't have a single stray color, and a look of fondness appeared in his eyes.
"What a beautiful little thing."
He reached out, wanting to stroke Lia's smooth fur.
Just as his fingertips were about to touch Lia, a sickeningly flamboyant and hypocritical aura wafted toward her.
Lia's Danger Intuition didn't sound an alarm, but the wild instinct in her bloodline raised the strongest protest.
"Hiss—!"
A short, fierce warning came from deep within Lia's throat.
She arched her back, her fur standing on end, and bared her sharp claws at the reaching hand, her azure eyes filled with disgust and threat.
Lockhart's hand froze in mid-air, and the smile on his face solidified for a moment.
The surrounding crowd let out a small commotion.
"It seems our little mascot has quite a personality," Lockhart quickly regained his smile, skillfully smoothing over the awkwardness.
Just then, a slow, mocking drawl came from the back of the crowd.
"The famous Harry Potter, making the front page just by entering a bookstore."
The crowd parted to make a way, and Lucius Malfoy and his son Draco walked in.
Lucius's gaze swept over the worn robes of the Weasleys, over Harry, and finally landed on Hermione and the Lia in her arms.
When he saw Lia's pure white fur and those spiritual blue eyes, a faint, hard-to-detect light flashed in his grey eyes.
It was the kind of greed a connoisseur has when seeing a peerless treasure.
"Miss Granger," Lucius's voice was soft, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly, "this is no ordinary cat."
His tone was drawn out, carrying a condescending scrutiny.
"Such pure coloring, and this unusual magical fluctuation... It should have a more noble master."
These words were like a poisonous thorn, accurately piercing Hermione's heart.
She held the now-quiet Lia tighter, her body trembling slightly, but not from fear, but from anger.
She looked up, her brown eyes staring fearlessly at the high-and-mighty man.
"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Malfoy."
Hermione's voice was cold and firm, every word carrying weight.
"But my friend is going nowhere."
The air seemed to freeze.
Lucius looked at the "mudblood" girl before him who refused to back down, and a meaningful smile slowly appeared on his face.
He said nothing more, but his grey eyes lingered on Lia for two extra seconds.
That look was like a cold venomous snake coiling around Hermione's heart, making her feel a bone-chilling dread.
"A mudblood is only fit to be friends with beasts."
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