When the time came, all five potential escapees reached the spot that Pansy had picked out. It was where the fence was shorter and connected to a large tree. It was no doubt a construction mishap they could use to their advantage.
Hermione fashioned a rope from all the clothes they stole and tied a hook, which was just a bent piece of metal, to one end. Meanwhile Pansy ducked into a corner and kept watch.
"Where are they?!" Hermione whispered already swinging the rope.
"They'll be here! Just do your bit Granger! Or you'd rather stay here till the Death Eaters arrive?!" Pansy snapped.
Something felt off, but Hermione needed no more encouragement than the image Parkinson just put in her head. She threw the rope and it hooked nicely on the top, then she fetched a long wooden board and placed it against the fence so they could scale it without getting cut by the barbed wire.
They climbed up to the tree from where they could see a thick gust of black smoke rising from the burning building.
"Is that…?" Hermione asked.
"Yea, that's the distraction." Pansy confirmed struggling to release the makeshift hook that was now firmly tangled in the wires on top of the fence.
"Wait, what about them?"
"I don't know! They should have been here! Just help me untangle this! We have to go regardless!" Pansy snapped losing patience.
Hermione didn't feel right going ahead, but she knew this may be the only opportunity. She saw the fire dying down and groups of death eaters gathering in the distance. "Move aside." Hermione pushed past Pansy to give it a go. She tugged forcefully, even cutting her hand whilst pulling on the hook, but the damn thing just wouldn't budge.
"Did you get it?" Pansy peered over her shoulder.
"No! We have to jump!" Hermione concluded pushing Pansy towards the ledge.
"Are you crazy!? It's too high!" Pansy yelped clutching at the branches for dear life.
"Look, the fire is already out!" Hermione exclaimed making Pansy glance backwards. She used the moment to push Pansy off the tree.
Pansy screamed trough the air and landed roughly on her foot. She twisted on the ground holding her ankle as unbearable pain shot trough it.
Watching this from above didn't do much to encourage Hermione for her own leap, but she knew the alternative was much worse. Being prepared and having visualised the landing Hermione managed to jump down without a mishap. The gash on her hand was still bleeding though, but much like Pansy's injured ankle it was quickly disregarded. Driven by the chance of escape and an adrenaline rush they both started running.
"Hold up!" Pansy yelled from behind.
"What?!" Hermione turned half way around but kept on running until she slammed against the invisible barrier, bounced off and fell to the floor. "Fuck!" She cursed holding the side of her face. When she looked up Pansy took a wand out of her pocket and started creating an opening in the magical barrier.
"You knew this was here?!" Hermione snapped.
"I told you to wait, didn't I?"
Having no retort, Hermione just frowned. She got up and stepped trough the shimmering crack, followed by Pansy who threw the wand back in before the barrier closed up again.
"Why'd you do that?! How are we going to defend ourselves?!"
"It's their wand I stole and I'm sure they would be able to track it somehow." Pansy explained.
"Yeah… It's possible." Hermione hated to admit. "Alright, let's keep moving before the commotion dies down!"
Soon they reached the nearest tree-line and under the cover of the pines stopped to catch their breath and recoup.
Only now Hermione felt the blood trickle down form her palm. In dismay she looked to see the cut profusely bleeding. "Do you have a…" She glanced over at Pansy who was very much concerned with her own injury, and likely didn't have anything that would help neither.
Seeing no other alternative Hermione removed her sock and wrapped it around her hand. "This'll have to do…" She murmured, though she couldn't quite fasten the knot herself. "Hmm… Parkinson could you?" She extended her arm.
Pansy looked up. "Alright." She said grabbing both ends of the relatively clean white sock.
"Do it as tight as you can, that should stop the bleeding." Hermione instructed.
"Is that alright?" Pansy asked tightening the knot with a groan.
"It should be… thanks." Hermione said, flipped on her heel and started walking.
"Wait!" Pansy cried out. "Can't you see I can't walk?!"
"What do you mean?" Hermione turned around. "You where running just now!"
"That was different, we where running away. I didn't feel the pain as much. Well, I do now!" Pansy said balancing on one leg with a painful grimace. "I think I have to hold onto you… You have to help me!"
"Do I? You said we'd scatter once we're out? Wasn't that the plan?"
"It was before you pushed me of that damn tree!" Pansy snapped.
"Fine…" Hermione sighed. "But if I see anyone chasing us, you're on your own."
"Yea, I know… thanks a lot!" Pansy muttered maliciously.
"Yea, you should thank me!" Hermione fired back. "I only pushed you because you weren't gonna jump!"
"I was! I just needed a moment!"
"We don't have a moment back there, and we still don't, they could be right behind us! So come on!" Hermione urged taking Pansy's arm around her neck and pressing the tempo with which Pansy wasn't quite comfortable with.
Pansy made sure to step as lightly as she could on her injured foot as they walked in tandem. They pushed trough the trees this way until they came up on an asphalt road. They continued along until the first vehicle came along.
They boarded the Muggle bus. Looking like they did they procured many concerned looks, but nobody did ask them for a ticket which was the upside.
"Should we say we've been in a car crash if anyone asks?" Hermione whispered as they moved to the back of the bus.
"Sure." Pansy nodded.
They settled in the back with not much else to say to each other. Pansy looked out the window and nervously bit on the corner of her fingernail. It took her a good half an hour to settle down and recall everything that seemed to have happened in a blur. She looked to her left to see Hermione leaned back in her seat, arms crossed and looking very lost in her thoughts. "Thanks for pushing me off actually…" Pansy started.
Looking a bit puzzled Hermione silently turned to face her.
"Perhaps I wouldn't have jumped off that tree myself." Pansy continued. "I've always been afraid of heights, and…"
"Sure." Hermione cut her off. She wasn't in the mood for elaborate explanations. "Also, you where in my way, so…"
"Well…" Pansy frowned. "Thanks anyway!"
"You're welcome!" Hermione retorted sounding equally hostile.
"But we made it, how about that?" Pansy exclaimed with sudden cheerfulness.
Hermione nodded though it didn't go past her that Parkinson's unexpected mood change was somehow purposeful. "We did escape, though we can't say the same about our friends."
"Yea, it's a shame they got captured." Pansy had the saddest expression she could muster.
Hermione didn't really buy the act. "Indeed you seem certain they didn't make it? So when you told me they'll make a distraction, I think you meant they where the distraction."
"What are you suggesting!?" Pansy snapped.
"I think you're well aware…"
"Why didn't you go back for them then?!" Pansy whispered angrily.
"Well, I went along with it…" Hermione admitted. "But I certainly wouldn't have planed the escape with what you had in mind!"
"Believe it or not I planed for everyone to get out! It's just that… there where various degrees of risks in each task that had to be executed, and perhaps they did get out, you don't know that!"
The bus driver's intentional coughing had interrupted their bickering. "This is our last stop girls."
"Oh…" Hermione stepped off the bus followed by a limping Pansy who ached to hold onto something with every painful step on the sidewalk.
"Granger, please wait!" Pansy called out while Hermione ignored her and kept on walking. "Granger! I said stop!" Pansy shouted out. Her blood boiled because of the false accusations, which made the pain in her ankle almost negligible so she bit down on her lip and sped up.
"What!?" Hermione snapped when Pansy caught up and flipped her around.
"You think I sacrificed that family to save myself!? And you as well, let's not forget that minor detail!"
"Yes, I think that's fairly obvious. It's best we split ways here, I don't feel comfortable travelling with someone I don't trust, though I do appreciate you getting me this far. So thanks for that." Hermione offered a hand which Pansy quickly pushed aside.
"No Granger! You'll see this trough! You'd still be there if it wasn't for me and my plan! You owe me!"
Hermione couldn't really deny that, still, she didn't feel an obligation to babysit Parkinson from this point onward. "Why do you need me anyway?" She asked.
"Look around Granger! We are in the Muggle world, which I know absolutely nothing about!"
"Alright, but why should I help you? What's in it for me?" Hermione asked.
"I won't go back there and tell them where you are, that's what's in it for you!" Pansy snapped.
"You wouldn't do that. You're not gonna turn yourself in just to spite me… I'm not buying that." Hermione shook her head.
"Alright, perhaps I won't…" Pansy admitted. "…but if I do get caught, you better believe I'll tell them where you went. I'll even help them track you down, you ingrate!"
"That I do believe…" Hermione sighed. "Fine, you can tag along a day or two till we sort this out, but it's my rules or else! You got that?!"
"Fine…" Pansy agreed disdainfully.
"Let's move then." Hermione said after a moment of uncomfortable silence.
"Umm… I kind of need to hold on to you."
"Right…" Hermione realized, letting Pansy throw her arm over her neck again.
It was strange being so close to someone you wanted to punch in the face, but Hermione endured. Pansy's constant moans and grunts of pain in her ear didn't make it easier to ignore her, but at lest she didn't talk.
"I won't stick around for any longer than I have to, believe me." Pansy assured her just as Hermione was beginning to enjoy the silence. "It just hurts so damn much, maybe it's broken."
"Maybe…" Hermione nodded indifferently.
"Do you know a healing spell or something?"
"Can't you see I have no wand? And even if I did, I don't think it'd be wise to use it." Hermione explained. "If Death Eaters can pick up on the trace of our spell…"
"Yeah, I know!" Pansy quickly interrupted. She didn't want to hear the rest, and certainly not imagine it.