Lia curled up on the bed and transformed into a cat.
Seeing this, Hermione skillfully carried Lia into the bathroom.
The bathroom was filled with swirling steam.
The process was full of clumsy intimacy. Lia squinted her eyes comfortably, letting Hermione help rinse her fur while letting out a satisfied purr from her throat.
When she walked out wrapped in Hermione's large bathrobe, the little kitten, fresh from her bath and still soaking wet, had water dripping from her hair.
At dinner time, a wonderful harmony appeared at The Granger Family dinner table.
The Grangers were still trying hard to treat Lia as an ordinary classmate of their daughter who was staying over. But their behavior betrayed them.
"Lia, try these beans—oh, sorry, maybe you don't like..." Mr. Granger handed over a spoonful of baked beans, then awkwardly pulled it back, remembering that cats didn't seem to eat them.
"Mom, where is Lia's fish?" Hermione asked directly.
"Here it is, here it is." Mrs. Granger immediately brought out a small plate from the kitchen like she was presenting a treasure. On it was a piece of cod, carefully deboned and lightly pan-fried in butter, garnished with two sprigs of green broccoli.
"Thank you, Ma'am," Lia said softly, then picked up the small round-tipped fork Hermione gave her and began to eat in small bites.
Her eating posture was elegant, carrying a certain Feline nobility, yet she appeared exceptionally serious because of her love for the food. Her cat ears twitched slightly with her chewing, and The Grangers watched her without blinking.
They felt like they weren't eating with their daughter's classmate, but rather watching a documentary of some rare animal feeding.
Night fell.
Lia changed into Hermione's pajamas. The hem of the T-shirt barely covered her thighs, leaving her two straight, slender calves exposed, while her long, fluffy tail extended from behind, restlessly sweeping across the bedsheets.
She curled up beside Hermione, watching as Hermione pulled a hardcover book with exquisite illustrations from the bookshelf.
"Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales."
"I'll read you a story." Hermione opened the book and found "The Little Mermaid."
In a steady and clear tone, she began to tell the story of The Little Mermaid who, in pursuit of a world she didn't belong to and to gain the prince's love, was willing to endure great pain and eventually turned into sea foam.
Lia listened very intently.
In her world, there was only survival, hunting, flight, and death. Love, sacrifice, asking for nothing in return... these concepts were like a language from another dimension to her, strange and distant.
"Why?" When Hermione read about The Little Mermaid trading her voice for legs, where every step felt like treading on knife points, Lia couldn't help but speak up, her voice light and filled with confusion, "Why would she hurt herself?"
Hermione closed the book and looked at her: "Because she loved that prince. Love sometimes makes people do... irrational things."
"Does love... hurt?" Lia's blue eyes were filled with pure bewilderment.
"Sometimes it does." Hermione thought for a moment, organizing her words, "But the happiness it brings makes you feel like all that pain is worth it."
Lia half-understood. She lowered her head, looking at her tail wrapped around Hermione's wrist, then looked up at Hermione.
Hermione gave her shelter, making her feel warm and safe. She was willing to take a Killing Curse for Hermione—was that love too? But she didn't feel pain; she only knew that she absolutely could not let Hermione suffer any harm.
"Go to sleep." Hermione ruffled her hair and turned off the bedside lamp.
The room fell into darkness, with only the moonlight peeking through the gaps in the curtains, casting a silver glow.
The next day was bright and sunny.
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