After a whole day of wild fun at the party at Weasleys Wizard Wheezes, even the energetic Lia felt a bit of fatigue.
The twins had arranged a room for them above the shop.
The room wasn't large, but it was cozy. Outside the window was the bustling night view of Diagon Alley, and in the distance, the Gothic silhouette of Gringotts bank stood out clearly under the moonlight.
Hermione had finished washing up and was lying on the soft bed in her pajamas, but she didn't feel the least bit sleepy.
She stared blankly at the moon outside, the scenes she had witnessed at the party today replaying repeatedly in her mind.
Lia had navigated the crowd with ease, using the most innocent expression to extract information from Ministry of Magic officials... that composure, that calmness, and that subtle calculation all perfectly overlapped with the shadow of Tom Riddle.
Yet, the one controlling all of this was Lia's own will.
This rapid transformation made her proud, but it also caused the string in her heart named "unease" to tighten further and further.
Had she... experienced something else that she didn't know about?
Lia came out after her bath, carrying the pleasant scent of milk body wash, and skillfully burrowed into the blankets, huddling close to Hermione.
She habitually tried to bury her head in Hermione's embrace, only to find that Hermione's body was somewhat stiff.
Usually at this time, Hermione would gently hold her, comb through her long hair with her fingers, and lightly stroke her slightly twitching cat ears.
But tonight, Hermione did not.
The room was very quiet, with only the faint clamor from outside and the shallow breathing of the two girls.
Moonlight spilled through the window onto Lia's face, casting a soft halo over her snow-white skin and silvery-white hair.
Her cat ears twitched slightly in the silence, capturing any hint of unusual emotion in the air.
Hermione turned onto her side, finally moving.
She didn't embrace Lia as she usually did, but simply watched her quietly. Her eyes appeared exceptionally deep in the moonlight, like a bottomless lake.
The question that had been brewing all night—and perhaps even longer—was finally asked at this moment.
"Lia."
"Hmm?" Lia opened her eyes, her sky-blue pupils clear as water in the darkness.
"You have nine lives, right?" Hermione asked.
This was something they had discussed before; it was a confirmation, but also a beginning.
Lia did not hesitate and nodded.
This was the root of her race, a secret between her and Hermione that required no concealment.
Hermione's gaze did not shift in the slightest, remaining locked firmly onto Lia's face.
She continued, her voice softer and colder than before.
"In the Forbidden Forest, you took that Killing Curse for me; that was your fourth death."
Lia's body trembled slightly.
Hermione did not pause, stating an established fact: "In the Chamber of Secrets, being killed by the Basilisk's gaze, that was the fifth."
She paused for a moment, as if giving Lia time to react.
Then, she threw out the real question, a carefully designed trap.
"So..." Hermione's voice held no emotion, terrifyingly calm, "you have four lives left now, don't you?"
Hermione had already sensed that something was wrong with Lia.
The abnormality after their brief separation at the Quidditch World Cup.
And the changes after their reunion following her running away from home; all of it gave off a discordant vibe.
She was intentionally saying it wrong.
She was testing her.
She was using a potentially incorrect number to force Lia to make a choice—to correct her, or... to go along with her mistake.
The air froze in that instant.
The noise outside receded into the infinite distance, and the whole world was left with only this small bed and the two souls looking at each other.
Lia didn't even need to activate her Eye of Truth to clearly "smell" it.
Radiating from Hermione was a scent of "suspicion" so intense it had practically materialized.
And beneath that ice of suspicion lay the deep, boiling scents of "heartache" and "fear," like churning lava.
Hermione suspected her.
Hermione was afraid.
Afraid that she had died again, quietly, in a place she didn't know about.
Lia's body, starting from the tip of her tail, grew rigid inch by inch.
If Hermione knew...
She would blame herself, wouldn't she?
Lia had felt that kind of pain.
That self-blame and guilt had completely overwhelmed her, making her give up on the hope of living.
She couldn't... she absolutely could not let Hermione taste that kind of pain.
Not even a single bit.
Admitting she had died again would be like personally stabbing the knife named "guilt" into Hermione's heart.
If the price of the truth was Hermione's pain, then the truth was worthless.
Having experienced her seventh death and gained "Resilient Spirit," her mind was no longer that of the black-and-white child she once was.
She had learned to weigh things, to make trade-offs.
If she could be careful not to be killed in the future, then there was no difference between having one last life and a hundred lives.
So, in the few seconds after the question was asked, Lia made her choice.
She chose to lie.
Lia's body relaxed again, and her stiff tail regained its softness.
She turned over, moving closer to Hermione, and actively reached out to hug Hermione's waist.
Then, she looked up, straight into Hermione's eyes.
Those sky-blue eyes were calm and waveless under the bright moonlight, clear as a flawless crystal, with no turbidity of lies to be seen.
Her voice, with a hint of sleepiness from being woken up, was soft and sweet, yet exceptionally clear.
"Yeah."
She only said one word.
A single-syllable word of affirmation.
She accepted Hermione's incorrect answer.
She said, yes, I have four lives left.
This lie was calm and perfect, without any extra explanation or guilty defense.
It was like confirming a simple math problem.
Hermione gazed deeply at her, trying to find even the slightest flaw in those calm eyes.
She wanted to see even a hint of avoidance, a flicker of hesitation.
But she found nothing.
Lia's gaze was too pure, too firm.
Finally, Hermione seemed to give up.
She blinked her somewhat sore eyes and nodded.
Then, she gently pushed away Lia's hand and turned over, her back to her.
Leaving Lia with only a back that looked tired and desolate.
"Go to sleep."
Hermione's voice came from under the covers, muffled and devoid of emotion.
Lia looked at her back and reached out, wanting to hug her again, but her hand stopped in mid-air.
In the end, she just silently withdrew her hand, curled up behind Hermione, and closed her eyes.
On the other side, hidden by the covers, Hermione bit her lower lip hard, trying her best not to let a single sob escape.
Warm liquid still burst from the corners of her eyes, silently soaking the soft pillow. One drop, two drops... soon forming a cold, wet patch.
She knew Lia was lying.
From the moment Lia answered with that "Yeah," she knew.
That overly perfect calmness was itself the biggest flaw.
The real Lia, when discussing such a serious matter, would be confused, uneasy, and would subconsciously seek her confirmation; her tail would betray her emotions.
Instead of being like she was now, calm as a perfect actor trained by Tom Riddle himself.
But Hermione also understood in an instant the reason for Lia's lie.
This wasn't betrayal.
It wasn't even deception.
It was a clumsy, naive, yet heartbreakingly profound form of protection.
Her Lia was using a lie to build a wall, sealing off the pain and guilt that might consume her.
Her kitten thought she was hiding it well.
In the darkness, Hermione smiled silently, but as she smiled, her shoulders began to tremble uncontrollably, and her tears fell even faster.
She didn't expose it.
Hermione silently wiped her tears and made a decision in her heart.
Since Lia wouldn't say it, she would find out for herself.
Find out the truth about that one death, or perhaps more than one, that Lia was desperately trying to hide.
Hermione closed her eyes and whispered a soft sentence in her heart to the little liar who thought her lie was seamless:
Goodnight.
You clever-clogs of a cat.
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"