MAGIANIMA // Hermione Granger

Departure

"PROTEGO!"

A shimmering blue dome formed around the four, the red jetted spells thrown their way bouncing off and into the nearby tree trunks or missing them completely and just flying off into the darkness. She was panting as the protection spell dropped, the Ministry personal around her stunned into silence.

"Stop!" shouted a voice Atlas knew to be Mr Weasley, "STOP! That's my son!"

Atlas let out a groan and tucked her wand back into her pocket. Now she was sure to be put back on the underaged wizards' list, she'd raised her wand at Ministry officials.

"Ron - Harry--" Arthur began as the three got up from the floor and Atlas recomposed herself, "--Hermione - Atlas, are you alright?"

"Fine..." Atlas waved off and let out a grunt when Hermione rushed to hug her, her entire body shaking. "I got a bit lost..."

"Idiot..."

"Out of the way, Arthur," ordered a cold and curt voice. Atlas recognised him as Barty Crouch and groaned even more. Not only had she raised her wand at Ministry officials, she'd raised her wand at a Head of Department. "Which of you did it?" he snapped, his sharp eyes darting between them. "Which of you conjured the Dark Mark?"

"We didn't do that!" Harry said, gesturing up at the skull as Atlas rubbed up and down Hermione's arm reassuringly.

"We didn't do anything!" Ron continued, rubbing his elbow and looking indignantly at his father. "What did you want to attack us for?"

"Do not lie, sir!" Crouch cried. His wand was still pointing directly at Ron, and his eyes were popping - he looked slightly mad. "You have been discovered at the scene of the crime!"

"Hold on, Barty!" A voice tried and moved forward into the light illuminating from the few wands still up in the air. It was Amos Diggory. Atlas let out an audible sigh of relief, "Atlas, my girl! What are you doing out here!?"

"Mr Diggory, sir, I was running through the woods, trying to find Harry, Ron and Hermione. I'm sorry I raised my wand at you, I just didn't want my friends to get hit by so many stunners," she sighed and he clapped her shoulder assuringly.

"Not to worry, that was quite an impressive Protection Charm, fighting off twenty of us at once," he complimented to ease her nerves. It worked and she visibly eased up, smiling slightly. "Now, you three--" he directed his attention to the teens behind Atlas, "Where did the Mark come from?"

"Over there," Hermione voiced shakily and Atlas slid her hand down the length of Hermione's arm to hold her hand as she used her other to point through the trees. "There was someone behind the trees...they shouted words - an incantation -"

"Oh, stood over there, did they?" Crouch jeered, turning his popping eyes on Hermione now, disbelief etched all over his face. "Said an incantation, did they? You seem very well informed about how that Mark is summoned, missy -"

Most weren't even listening to Crouch anymore, every wand pointed in the direction Hermione had pointed. "We're too late," a witch in a woollen dressing gown said, shaking her head. "They'll have Disapparated."

"I don't think so," Amos disagreed, stroking his stubble thoughtfully. "Our Stunners went right through those trees...There's a good chance we got them..."

"Be careful, Mr Diggory," Atlas warned, watching with furrowed brows as her best friends father wandered off into the darkness in the direction of a potential Deatheater.

A few seconds later, a shout erupted from within the shadows. "Yes! We got them! There's someone here! Unconscious! It's - but - blimey..."

"You've got someone?" Crouch shouted, sounding highly disbelieving. "Who? Who is it?"