Pieces of Me, Scattered to the Wind

A Discovery

Privet Drive was quiet. Too quiet, and Hermione felt put off immediately by the stillness in the air. It is as if something utterly wrong happened here and now the air was stagnant and eerie. She wandered around the street trying to see if she could pinpoint what exactly was wrong.

It is when she comes across the park at the end of the street that she is slammed with darkness.

Dark Magic oozes over the place, hot and stifling. It overwhelms the area and though she cannot see any physical signs of said Dark Magic, she can feel it curling up and around her.

She closes her eyes and tries to focus on the magic, trying her best to pinpoint what exactly it could possibly mean. She has to find out if this is the sign that someone had been here to hurt Harry.

But as her eyes are closed and she submerges herself in the feeling of magic, familiarity washes over her and the stifling heat of the dark magic melts into something softer, akin to sitting by a fireplace on a cool night.

She knows this feeling. Her own magic is so familiar with this signature and she can feel her magic swirling around her, as if it were overjoyed to feel this warmth again.

She knows that this is Harry's doing and that it is Harry's own Dark Magic that is flooding over this area. Her heart fills with hope at the idea that perhaps Harry had freed himself from his horrible life but when she remembers the cry of pain that called to her from miles and miles away, the worry comes back.

She knows that he was here, but this does nothing to help her find out where he is now and what happened to him. She turns on her heel and determinedly makes her way to exit the park and go down the other end of the street towards Number 4 Privet Drive.

She does not make it out of the park.

A group of five stands in front of her, 3 wizards and 2 witches. She can feel their magic in the air, and she knows that they aren't here for any friendly reasons. She feels the Notice Me Not charms hovering in the air and she is thankful they cast them, because if this comes to blows, she'd hate to have muggles watch. She knows that whether these wizards or witches answer to Dumbledore or Voldemort, they are a threat to her safety, and she will most likely have to fight her way out.

"Ms. Hermione Granger." Her back straightens at the sound of her name from one of the wizard's lips. "We've been waiting for you to show up here."

She twirls her wand lazily at her side but prepares herself to use it at a moment's notice.

"I'm sorry, I can't say the same for you." She calls back, her voice taking on a haughty tone. One of the witch's lip tilt up into a smirk.

"Dumbledore told us you'd show up here. He said that after one of you went rogue, it wouldn't be long before the other two followed. And as usual," the smirking witch's eyes look Hermione up and down. "He was right."

Hermione snorted at that. Honestly, what the fuck did Dumbledore do that had all these people drinking in his words as if they were some sort of Holy Gospel.

"Where is Harry?" Hermione snarled out, her patience thinning and her wand starting to come up.

"We were hoping to ask you the same question." Replies on of the wizards (he looks vaguely familiar. Had she seen him at an Order Meeting?) but she had a more pressing concern, if they didn't know where Harry was, and she didn't know where Harry was, who the hell knew where Harry was? She raises her wand completely, pointing it at the group.

"If you don't know where he is, then I'll be on my way." However, her gut was clenched, and she had a bad feeling that they wouldn't just let her go on her way.