"Awoo—!"
The Werewolf, having completely lost its mind, ignored Peter, who was pinned to the ground. In its bestial instinct, Dumbledore, who was the largest and most threatening, and Harry and Sirius standing together, were higher priority targets.
Its hind legs suddenly exerted force, and like a Black cannonball, it pounced toward Harry, who was closest to it!
"Harry! Run!" Sirius roared, charging forward without a second thought. In mid-air, his body rapidly elongated and transformed, turning back into that massive Black hound once more, colliding fiercely with the Werewolf!
Barking and howling intertwined, claws and fangs clashed; two former best friends were now engaged in the most primitive and bloody struggle.
But the large Black dog's size was ultimately no match for the Werewolf, and it soon fell into a disadvantage, being swiped away by a claw and rolling several times on the ground.
At the same time, outside, from the direction of the Forbidden Forest, came a series of soul-chilling hisses, one after another.
The fear, hatred, and pain erupting within the tower... these intense negative emotions were like a lighthouse in the dark night, attracting all the hungry predators lurking around Hogwarts.
Dementors!
Dozens, even hundreds of Black-cloaked figures surged out of the Forbidden Forest like a tide, gliding toward Hagrid's hut. Wherever they passed, the grass frosted over, and the last trace of warmth in the air was sucked dry.
A Werewolf rampaging inside, and Dementors besieging from outside!
A desperate situation!
"It's over... we're dead..." Ron sat paralyzed on the ground, his face as pale as ash.
Harry raised his magic wand, his lips trembling, but he simply couldn't remember the incantation for the Patronus Charm. That bone-chilling coldness made his mother's screams before her death echo in his mind once again.
Amidst this chaos and despair, Hermione was unusually calm.
She glanced at Sirius, who was fighting the Werewolf in a perilous situation; she glanced at Harry, who was gripped by fear and unable to move; and then she glanced behind her at Lia, who, despite trembling all over, was still firmly pinning Peter down to prevent him from escaping.
A surge of unprecedented emotion instantly filled her chest.
It was a towering rage against these beings who dared to threaten what she cherished!
Scenes flashed rapidly through Hermione's mind.
The stunning moment she first saw the Cat-girl in Diagon Alley; the warmth of holding a constant-temperature plush hand warmer while reading on winter nights; the heartbeat at the Three Broomsticks when she used the tip of her tongue to lick away the milk foam belonging to Lia on her fingertip... That warmth, that softness, that wholehearted dependence... it was hers!
"Expecto Patronum!"
Hermione raised her magic wand and, using all her strength and soul, let out a clear shout!
A silver-white light, far more dazzling than any previous practice, erupted from the tip of her magic wand!
The light did not take the form of the white cat she was familiar with, but instead rapidly condensed and shaped itself in mid-air.
First, a pair of furry, slightly twitching cat ears, followed by a petite and shapely figure, and finally, an elegant long tail unfurled behind.
A Patronus in the form of an all-silver Cat-girl, composed of the purest joy and the will to protect!
She had the exact same figure as Lia, even the playful expression of tilting her head slightly and curiously observing the world was identical.
As soon as this unprecedented Patronus appeared, it emitted an incomparable warm light.
The light was like the sun, instantly dispelling all the coldness in the room.
The Werewolf, just about to pounce on Harry again, was struck by this warm and pure power. It let out a painful howl and retreated repeatedly, its bestial eyes actually showing fear.
And Lia, pinned to the ground, shuddered the moment she saw that Patronus.
From that light, she felt a domineering yet gentle force of bond, sharing the same source as her Soul Protection and carrying Hermione's unique aura.
It was as if... Hermione was crowning her with her own soul.
A warm current welled up from the bottom of her heart, instantly spreading through her limbs and bones, dispelling all fear.
Lia let out a low growl, the strength under her claws increasing by another thirty percent; no matter how Peter struggled, she remained motionless.
"Hermione..." Harry stared dumbfoundedly at the Cat-girl Patronus, then at the calm and powerful Hermione beside him, a surge of immense courage welling up from his heart.
If even Hermione could go to such lengths to protect Lia, why couldn't he protect his godfather!
"Expecto Patronum!"
Harry also roared out, and a massive silver Stag with majestic antlers leaped from the tip of his magic wand!
The Cat-girl and the Stag, two powerful Patronuses, one inside and one outside, firmly protected everyone in the center. The silver radiance complemented each other like a miracle.
Outside, the army of Dementors surging like a tide halted in their tracks under the deterrence of these two blazing lights, letting out unwilling screeches.
Just then.
Boom!
The entire wall of the hut exploded, wood chips flying everywhere.
Dumbledore's tall figure appeared at the gap, and beside him was the ashen-faced Minister Cornelius Fudge.
The old Principal waved his magic wand gently.
The Werewolf currently fighting the Black hound was instantly bound like a mummy by silver chains appearing out of thin air, its body rapidly shrinking and turning back into the unconscious Lupin.
Another spell flew out, binding the half-dead Peter on the ground as well, forcing him back into human form.
The chaotic scene was quelled in an instant under Dumbledore's god-like magical prowess.
Minister Fudge looked at the mess in the room, the unconscious Werewolf, the bound Peter, and the massive Black hound, and was completely stunned.
He had guaranteed over and over that the Dementors wouldn't cause panic; how could he see such a scene as soon as he arrived?
"Dumbledore! What... what is going on? Black! Catch him!"
"I think, Mr. Minister, you'd better listen to this man's testimony first." Dumbledore smiled and pointed at Peter.
"Hand him over to me, Principal!" Snape rushed over, his face full of malice and resentment. "I'll make him tell everything!" He glared fixedly at Sirius, who was slowly turning back into human form, wishing he could eat his flesh and sleep on his skin.
"I'm afraid not, Severus; your bias is too strong." Dumbledore shook his head.
Just then, a clear voice, tinged with a hint of innocence, rang out.
"What he says is the truth."
Everyone looked over at the sound.
Lia had stood up at some point and walked to Hermione's side. She wiped the blood off her face, her blue eyes, pure as the sky, staring unblinkingly at Sirius.
Then, she turned toward Snape, tilted her head, and her small nose sniffed gently.
"On you," she said clearly in a voice everyone could hear, "there is a very strong smell of... being mistaken."
She activated the Eye of Truth, and in front of the Minister, in the most innocent tone, she delivered the final—
Judgment.
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