Hermione's mind froze at Lia's words.
In an instant, all the clues were linked into a cold chain of logic.
The scent of "Peter" = lies.
The scent of lies = near Ron.
That rat by Ron's side that had lived for twelve years and was missing a toe.
The answer was self-evident.
"Hermione?" Parvati's inquiry brought her back to her senses.
Hermione suppressed the surging waves in her heart and forced a flawless smile for Parvati and Lavender: "It's nothing, I just remembered I wrote something wrong in my Potion essay. It's getting late, we should head back."
She gripped Lia's hand; the Cat-girl's soft little hand transmitted a gentle warmth.
Hermione tightened her fingers and squeezed Lia's palm.
They intercepted Ron at the entrance of Honeydukes.
He was munching on a chocolate frog, his mouth greasy, and greeted them indistinctly: "Hey! You guys are finally done browsing. Fred and the others went to prank Filch, so I came out first."
Hermione's gaze pierced through his thick robes, pinning itself onto the slightly twitching pocket on his chest.
"Ron," Hermione's voice was frighteningly calm, "your rat, Scabbers, let me see him."
Ron stopped chewing.
He glanced warily at Hermione, then peeked at Lia half-hidden behind her, his face showing the Weasley Family's signature impatience: "What for? He's fast asleep. What does Lia want to do to him now?"
In his limited understanding, it was only natural for cats to catch rats.
"I heard he hasn't been doing well lately, maybe I can..."
"He's perfectly fine!" Ron interrupted rudely, his hand instinctively shielding the pocket on his chest, "He's just old! Don't nag me like my mum!"
The moment his palm covered it, the little thing in the pocket got spooked and twitched violently.
That was it.
Lia's body instantly went from soft to rigid.
One second she was a dodder flower needing Hermione's protection; the next, she bared the fangs of a carnivorous plant.
The cat ears amidst her silver hair snapped upright, their tips twitching as they locked onto the bulge. In those eyes clear as the sky, all emotion was drained, and her pupils contracted into a lethal vertical slit under the gloomy winter light.
There was no magic in her eyes, only souls.
Rot, decay, cowardice, betrayal... the stench of old lies from the Three Broomsticks turned into a clump of gray, filthy soul-fire, flickering fearfully beneath Ron's palm.
It was him.
From deep within Lia's throat came a low, suppressed growl of threat—the chest resonance of a large Feline announcing death after locking onto its prey.
"Look!" Ron jumped at the sound and shouted, pointing at Lia, "She just wants to eat Scabbers! I told you! Hermione, control your pet!"
"Lia is not a pet!" Hermione's voice suddenly rose. She yanked Lia behind her, her face pale with anger. "Ron Weasley, hand him over!"
She didn't dare mention the name. Once spoken, if this rat escaped, they would never be able to catch him again.
"You're all crazy!" Ron's face flushed; Hermione was being completely unreasonable. "Harry's crazy, and you're crazy too!"
Just as he finished, a despondent Harry happened to walk over from a distance and caught the end of the argument: "What's going on?"
"Harry! You be the judge!" Ron found his savior. "Hermione insists on seeing Scabbers, and Lia wants to eat him!"
Harry looked at Hermione; her face was grim. Behind her, Lia was staring fixedly at Ron's pocket with an expression Harry had only seen in Muggle documentaries—the predator's gaze, a mix of disgust, coldness, and cruelty, before a leopard pounces.
Harry's heart sank.
He didn't know what had happened, but he instinctively felt that things were definitely not simple.
"Ron, just let Hermione have a look. Maybe Scabbers really is sick," Harry tried to mediate.
"No!" Ron's stubbornness was extraordinary; he treated Scabbers as his final territory. "He's my rat!"
"He's not!"
A soft but incredibly firm voice rang out.
Lia poked her small face out from behind Hermione, her vertical pupils watching Ron without emotion: "He... is a bad thing."
Before her voice even faded, she moved.
She was so fast that no one could react.
A white shadow pounced toward Ron's chest with undisguised killing intent.
"Lia!"
Hermione cried out and moved like lightning, catching Lia around the waist just before her claws could reach Ron's robes.
The Cat-girl struggled violently in her arms, letting out an angry hiss.
Ron was so startled that he stumbled back several steps and fell onto the snow, all color draining from his face.
"Crazy... your cat... is crazy!"
He scrambled to his feet, glanced in terror at Lia, who was being held tightly by Hermione, then turned and ran, bolting toward the Castle without looking back.
That stench named "Peter Pettigrew" fled in panic.
Hermione held the still-shivering Cat-girl tightly, gently stroking her bristling fur until the tense body softened again.
The vertical pupils in Lia's eyes slowly dilated, returning to their usual roundness. She buried her face in the crook of Hermione's neck and rubbed against her aggrievedly: "Hermione... he got away."
"I know," Hermione's voice was incredibly gentle, yet carried a steel-like resolve.
She looked up at Harry, who was standing there completely stunned.
"Harry," Hermione's instruction was clear and calm, "listen to me. That rat in Ron's pocket, Scabbers, is no ordinary rat."
She watched Harry's green eyes widen in shock as she dropped a bombshell, word by word.
"Lia says he has the scent of 'Peter' on him. That... Peter Pettigrew who betrayed your parents."
Harry's breath hitched.
"We have no evidence, and Ron won't believe us. So, we must get evidence."
Hermione pulled Lia closer and buried her head in her, taking a deep breath of her scent.
The frustration of failing to capture Pettigrew was finally suppressed by Lia's scent.
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 70 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thank you so much for your support!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"