The next day, at King's Cross Station.
"Don't worry, child. You'll find new friends here."
Dumbledore led Lia through Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, patted her shoulder gently, and softly pushed her toward the train.
When Lia looked back, there was no one behind her.
Lia stood alone, clutching the cold handle of her luggage trolley tightly. Everything around her made her feel extremely uncomfortable.
The sharp train whistle pierced her sensitive eardrums. The clamor of the crowd merged into a chaotic, buzzing wave that battered her nerves.
Countless unfamiliar smells—steam engine oil, various perfumes, the aroma of food, and the complex scent of human sweat—mixed together and flooded her nostrils, making her feel nauseous.
Her "Danger Intuition" was screaming warnings.
To her left, a boy was running, dragging his trunk.
Intuition warned: Collision imminent! Instinctively, Lia took a step to the right as the boy brushed past the spot where she had just been standing, a gust of wind in his wake.
From behind, a trolley was approaching.
Intuition warned: Tail! She stiffly pulled her long tail in front of her, holding it tightly against her body, as the trolley wheels rolled perilously close over the ground behind her.
An overly curious glance thrown her way from someone... All of this made her tense up. Her snow-white cat ears twitched uneasily, her long tail behind her hung stiffly, its tip flickering nervously.
She had to find a safe, quiet corner quickly.
Dragging her heavy luggage trolley subconsciously, she moved toward the rear of the train, guided by beast-like instinct, where the crowd was relatively sparse and the scents seemed least threatening.
She walked every step with extreme caution, trying her best to minimize her presence.
The train was long. Lia stood on tiptoe, peering silently through the windows like a cat.
Almost every compartment was full. Young Wizards were chatting and laughing excitedly, their unrestrained joy feeling alien and intimidating to her.
Lia didn't dare knock on any door or make eye contact with anyone.
The whispers felt like tiny needles pricking her skin.
"Look! That girl has a tail!"
"Is she some kind of Magical Creature? She's so pale."
Lia lowered her head further. Her silver-white hair cascaded down, covering most of her face, leaving only a pair of wary blue eyes visible.
Finally, almost at the very last carriage, she found a compartment that wasn't full.
The door was half-open. Inside sat only one boy, his hair a strikingly vivid red like flames.
He had some freckles on his face and was currently frowning at a beautifully wrapped pentagonal box.
Lia's "Danger Intuition" swept over him. The feedback was... safe.
This human's emotions were as straightforward and warm as his hair, with no hidden malice.
After a moment's hesitation, she mustered her courage and gently pushed open the compartment door.
Creeeak—
The red-haired boy was startled, looking up sharply to see Lia at the door.
Ron froze, his gaze fixed on the pair of fluffy white cat ears on top of her head, then moving down to see the long, fluffy tail behind her.
"Whoa..." Ron's mouth hung open. The chocolate frog box in his hand fell onto the seat with a soft thud.
Lia felt extremely uncomfortable under his direct stare, nervously clutching the hem of her skirt.
In this awkward silence, the compartment door was suddenly thrown open with a clatter.
A figure bustled in energetically.
"Hello!" The newcomer was a girl with a head of somewhat bushy, frizzy brown curls and a pair of exceptionally bright brown eyes.
"Sorry to bother you, but have any of you seen a toad? A boy named Neville lost his."
The girl's eyes quickly swept over the stunned red-haired boy and finally landed precisely on Lia at the door.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
The girl's intelligent eyes, upon seeing the pair of cat ears on Lia's head that trembled slightly with each breath, instantly lit up with the kind of delight and curiosity one might have upon discovering a rare treasure.
She forgot about the toad she was looking for, took an eager step forward, and extended her hand toward Lia.
But then she seemed to realize something, looking uncertainly at Lia's ears and tail, her hand pausing mid-air.
Blinking her earnest eyes, she spoke in a tone that mixed academic inquiry with genuine curiosity.
"I'm Hermione Granger."
"I... I'm Lia," Lia replied timidly.
"Lia, what a lovely name. May I ask... are you... a Magical Creature?"
Magical Creature? The words were like a cold key, instantly unlocking Lia's memories of the basement. Those people... had also called her "precious experimental material."
Instinctively, she shrank back, her nails unconsciously extending.
"Whoa!" The red-haired boy opposite finally snapped out of it. He pointed at Lia, his face full of disbelief. "My dad works at the Ministry of Magic, but he never told me... Hogwarts would accept... uh, students like you!"
There was no malice in the boy's words, but the phrase "like you" undoubtedly marked her as "different."
Lia's face paled another shade. Her cat ears drooped weakly.
"Ron!" Hermione immediately turned her head, shooting a disapproving glare at the red-haired boy named Ron.
Hermione sensed Lia's distress, withdrew her hand, and her tone became exceptionally gentle.
"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I'm just... very curious about all Magical Creatures and wondrous transformations."
Mentioning a familiar subject, a light reignited in Hermione's eyes, as if trying to diffuse the awkwardness this way: "I've read about all the Magical Creatures registered with the Ministry of Magic in *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them*, but none of them are quite like you."
Lia's heart tightened. She wasn't a "monster" on record.
"You could also be a natural-born Animagus," Hermione continued, "but the books say Animagi can transform perfectly into animals and can revert to a completely human form."
"Revert... to a completely human form?" For the first time, a faint glimmer appeared in Lia's azure blue eyes.
"But you've retained the ears and tail. That seems more like some kind of ancient bloodline talent! *The Advanced Transfiguration Guide* mentions some very rare cases..."
Bloodline... talent? Not a curse, not a failed experiment, but a... talent? This word was too foreign, too... beautiful for Lia.
Hermione began talking nonstop, from the registration laws for Animagi to the rarity of bloodline magic.
Ron listened, dumbfounded, while Lia was even more confused.
Those unfamiliar words buzzed around like a swarm of mosquitoes, but strangely, the tension in her heart gradually dissipated amidst Hermione's focused and earnest narration.
This girl named Hermione—her curiosity held no greed, her inquiry held no malice, only a pure thirst for knowledge.
She didn't treat her as a monster, but was simply curious and wanted to understand her.
This feeling gave Lia an inexplicable sense of... reassurance.
It was much better than being an "experimental subject."
At least, there wasn't a trace of malice in this girl.
Only a purely warm scent.