Kate used the "Sweet Talk" attack on the little kitten. It was super effective!
Congratulations to player Kate for successfully capturing one Epic-grade Rare Animal: Little Kitten Hermione!
Cough!
The specific situation, of course, was not as simple as it appeared in the game.
At least the moment Hermione opened the door and pounced on her, causing her head to collide with Kate's chin, it really...
Hurt.
Frowning from the sharp pain, Kate didn't even have time to rub her fragile chin. She hurriedly supported Hermione's waist and stumbled back a few steps.
Having barely stabilized her body, before she could even speak, Hermione's soft sobbing reached her ears.
Kate's hand, resting on the girl's waist, paused. The motion, originally intended to pull her away, turned into a comforting caress.
"Why are you crying?" she asked softly.
It had only been two months since arriving at Hogwarts, and Hermione had already held her and cried twice. This frequency explained a lot.
Even with her company, she could still be moved to tears by a single sentence from Ron. She really didn't know how the Hermione in the original works managed to survive when she was all alone.
The little kitten in her arms sniffled hard, holding on to deny it: "I'm not crying!"
Not crying, yet she ran here to lock herself up alone?
Kate didn't expose her, nor did she press for the reason. She simply stood there, holding Hermione just like on that night.
It wasn't until the sobbing in her ear gradually disappeared and the fabric on her shoulder was mostly soaked that Hermione finally emerged from her embrace in embarrassment.
"Done crying?" she asked with a smile.
Hermione's eyes were red, her small face covered in tear stains. She hesitated before asking, "Kate, do you find me... unbearable?"
"Hmm... which aspect do you refer to specifically?" Kate asked solemnly.
She pointed to her already wet shoulder. "If you're talking about this, my clothes are too small, so they might indeed not be enough for you to wipe."
For a moment, Hermione couldn't hold it back and burst into laughter.
Kate laughed along with her, taking out a tissue to wipe the little face for her.
"But if you're asking about other things, I can tell you that I don't feel there is anything bad about you that requires me to endure with patience."
The smile on Hermione's face gradually faded. "But, but Ron said..."
"He is right outside, waiting to apologize to you."
Kate interrupted her, leaning in closer until her forehead almost touched the girl's. "If you don't want to see him, I can make him leave first."
"Better not." Hermione felt awkward just thinking about that scene.
From before the Sorting Ceremony to the Flying Class, she knew that Ron was a guy who liked to complain and would occasionally speak without a filter.
Sometimes he was annoying, but she was about the same. Since everyone was friends, tolerating each other's shortcomings was nothing.
Only Kate could say with a clear conscience that she had no shortcomings.
"Maybe I've been practicing too hard lately, so being casually critiqued by him made me unhappy."
As soon as Hermione finished speaking, she realized something was wrong. She looked up in panic, only to meet Kate's surprised gaze.
"What practice?" Kate looked at her probingly. "What are you secretly practicing?"
No wonder Hermione rarely went to the library with her during this period.
Previously, she thought the little girl had found new friends and was happy for her. Unexpectedly, she had slipped up today.
The little lion hurriedly covered her mouth, but Kate grabbed her wrist and forced her to retreat step by step.
Until she backed into the corner of the bathroom, with nowhere left to retreat.
"Are you practicing the Disillusionment Charm?"
Connecting it to the spells she had taught Hermione before, Kate guessed this possibility immediately.
She just didn't understand. This spell wasn't a big deal, so why did Hermione have to hide it from her?
"Because..." Hermione lowered her head guiltily, explaining in a whisper, "I wanted to wait until I could enter your dormitory to give you a surprise."
Ah, this?
Kate tilted her head with a bewildered expression.
So Hermione wanted to learn the Disillusionment Charm just to sneak into her dormitory?
"Is your dormitory not good? Why must you enter mine?" she asked, perplexed.
The Slytherin dormitories were under the Black Lake, while the Gryffindor Common Room was high up in the towers.
Except for acrophobia patients and some little snakes with bizarre aesthetics, anyone would prefer the Gryffindor Common Room where one could see the blue sky, right?
Hermione's small face flushed red, and she stammered for a long time without giving a reason.
It was truly strange; she had never seen Hermione liking cramped, dark environments before.
While Kate was still in doubt, the tips of her ears twitched slightly. She immediately turned her head and saw two small heads, one black and one red, stealthily peeking in from outside the door.
As soon as they saw her turn her face, those two guys quickly shrank back.
Originally, Harry and Ron were just waiting outside the bathroom for them. However, two boys guarding the entrance of the girls' bathroom was simply too weird.
After being scrutinized by the strange gazes of several passing students, they couldn't wait any longer.
Rashly knocking on the door might disturb the people inside, so they chose this method to see how things were progressing inside.
Who knew they would see Kate pinning Hermione against the wall!
We're done for!
Ron jerked his head back, his face bright red as he looked at Harry beside him. "The two of them are..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he saw Kate walk out holding Hermione's hand.
Sharp-eyed Ron also noticed that Kate's shoulder was wet, and her wizard robes were a bit wrinkled.
"What were you guys doing just now?" Kate looked at the two of them with a face full of strangeness.
Harry's face twitched, and he hurriedly shook his head. "Nothing! We were just worried about Hermione!"
Ron beside him also nodded vigorously.
She wanted to ask more, but Hermione cut in: "Kate, I'm a little hungry."
"At this time, the Great Hall shouldn't have started serving yet." Kate's attention was immediately diverted. "You still have classes this afternoon, right? How about going back to the dormitory to eat some snacks first?"
Hermione smiled sweetly. "Okay, then see you at noon!"
Saying that, she walked forward two steps, then quickly retreated to ask Harry and Ron, "Aren't you going back?"
"Going!"
"Going immediately!"
The two instantly perked up and walked quickly toward the stairs. It was just unknown why their postures looked stiff no matter how one looked at them.
Kate shook her head helplessly. It wasn't until she watched Hermione go upstairs that she shifted her gaze to that passage on the fourth floor.
Although she had found Hermione now, just to be safe, she still had to resolve the troll.
According to the System's requirements, she had to complete this task personally for it to count as a success. Otherwise, she would have long since dumped the problem on Snape and rolled up her bedding to go back to the dormitory to sleep.
To silently intercept the troll outside the Great Hall while avoiding everyone's notice, she could only try that spell.
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