July 6th, 1992 (Monday)
Location: Hyde Park
It doesn't take them terribly long to reach the park - not quite a hop and a skip but it wasn't like it's on the other side of the town. Hermione finds it a little eerie to be in the park with no one else around - the lack of excited screams and shouts of other kids were distinctly absent so late at night. The sun's been long gone at this point and the chill was only just beginning to settle in.
There's a few lights here and there to keep the park from being completely shrouded in darkness. Yet, at the same time, it made locating their friend just a tad difficult because what if she's not sitting out in the lit areas?
It'd be something Meissa would do - sit in the darkness while brooding.
"Should we try the playground first?" Daphne asks, rubbing her arms to warm herself up. She didn't have any foresight to grab a coat or a sweater before running after her friend.
It was also the first time either one of them spoke after agreeing to check the park for Meissa. Hermione was deep in the self-flagellation she's been running herself through for not offering her apologies sooner - or even getting mad at the other girl.
If there was another person privy to Hermione's thoughts - and a rational mature one at that - they would have told her that fighting was natural to a friendship and it's important to learn to apologize and recognize one's mistakes.
Unfortunately there was no one around who could take a look at Hermione's mind and so the Gryffindor stewed and berated herself.
"Hermione," Daphne tries again, giving the other girl a light tap, "where should we look first?"
"What - oh, maybe the monkey bars?"
Daphne nods slightly and started walking in the direction she thinks the bars are.
"Daph," Hermione waits until the blonde is looking at her before pointing in the literal opposite direction, "it's that way."
"Right, I knew that," the blonde made a 180 and started off once more, steadfastly ignoring the slight giggles from the other girl.
The closer they got to the bars the more transparent it became that Meissa was not there. Since they weren't too far from the rest of the playground they continued on.
It's hard to make out anything in between the glow of the lights and stars but they found no signs of Meissa at any of the equipment they've checked so far. The monkey bars was a bust. The swings as well. Spring rollers were as still as the night around them.
"Meissa!" Daphne calls out, biting her lip afterwards. It was easier to find her at Hogwarts.
"I say," they hear distantly, "you and your life are gone. Innocent you are not - not for the lives you have ruined." It's not a voice they recognize. "Mm… no - that doesn't work." Daphne glance at Hermione in confusion who was staring at the playhouse - the last place they've yet to check. "You bloody wanker," the voice shouts and now Daphne can hear the deep brass like quality to it, "You will pay! Pound for pound!"
"Eh… lame." A shadow detach itself from the playhouse and they can see the familiar headful of curls despite the lack of color. "You've ruined my life," a hand extends and they can see the shape of a wand, "I've spent years trying to purge you and YOU KEEP CRAWLING BACK!"
"Meissa?"
The shadow blurs for a second - they could only guess that initially Meissa's back was to them - before jumping down from the playhouse. Landing in a patch of light streaming from a nearby pole. Despite the poor quality of light they can see that it's their missing friend except something seems different.
"Mm…" The tip of Meissa's wand begin to tap against the other girl's chin as she saunters - since when does she saunter - to them. "You're important." She points to Daphne with the wand before she focuses on Hermione. "You're… Important - angry with but important." The brunette shrugs her shoulders as if these were information that should make sense to them.
It didn't. Not to Daphne.
To Hermione… well, it made something click.
"What's your name?"
"Hermione - what," Daphne starts but was waved at by the Gryffindor while a slow smile began to form on Meissa's face at the question. It was a little peculiar in the way that it's not quite the smile the other girl would wear.
"Mm, you're the first one to ask," Meissa replies as she uncrosses her arms, her posture not quite relaxing but at least it doesn't look like she's ready to spring into a fight. "I think I recall seeing a name I liked… what was it… ah. Azrael."
Daphne was confused in more ways than one.
What. Is. Happening?
"Azrael," Hermione confirms tentatively, getting a cocky smirk from the raven haired girl. It still doesn't match the face they're used to.
"Yes. Azrael at your service." There was an actual bow - elaborated, but a bow nonetheless - to accompany her words.
"Hermione - what, what's going on?"
Azrael/Meissa tsks at the Gryffindor as she did a 'shame on you' gesture. "Hoarding all the information again, mm?"
"I don't know much about it," Hermione confesses awkwardly. "I had hoped to read a little more about it before saying anything."
"How long were you sitting on this?"
"Barely a day, honest."
Azrael/Meissa shrugs her shoulders. "I believe her. They were a little subtle when they left the book on the table this morning."
"Who?"
"You mean my parents?"
"Yes."
"How did they even - I didn't say anything to them!"
"None of you checked to make sure the door was closed all the way."
Daphne groans softly in disbelief, thinking back to when they arrived at the Grangers' house after the zoo. That was the one and only time they spoke about Meissa's black outs.
"Wait… are you the source of all the black outs?"
"Not all of them. Some of them are my fault, I'll admit to that."
"… The fight with Pansy?" Azrael nods. "The train?" This got a no from the other girl. Two known moments when the other girl has for sure acted odd and one was caused by Azrael. "The zoo?"
"Nope. I think Blake may have been the one for that."
Hermione glance at Daphne who seems to be in deep thought.
"So," the blonde starts, her head tilting slightly, "that means Blake was also responsible for the train."
Hermione looks at her sharply, quickly thinking about the two moments Daphne referenced to. She sees what line of thought Daphne is following as she compares this to what she knows.
"Azrael," Hermione waits until the other girl acknowledges her. "What's your role?"
Azrael smiles slowly and, under the dim lighting of the park's lamps, her eyes glittered in a way that reminds Daphne of the hospital wing.
"I am rage. I am anger. Justice is what I mete to those who deserve it." Azrael holds up her wand as the tip begins to glow darkly. "I have protected what is mine for years - I have preserved what is to be preserved."
"Even if it means hurting those who don't deserve to be hurt?"
The dark glitter in Meissa's eyes became even more pronounced at that.
"Did we?"
Daphne grabs Hermione at the dangerous tone. She vaguely remembers hearing it before - Step aside - and did not want to test what it means.
"Meissa."
"Not here."
"She is."
The glow at the tip of Meissa's wand became more pronounced.
"She. Is. Not."
Daphne tugs Hermione half behind her as she holds her ground.
"You say you mete out justice to those who deserve it," she may not understand what's happening, why Meissa is answering to the names of Azrael and Blake, but she understands that it's late. They're standing out in the middle of a playground, in the dark, and it looks like Meissa is on the verge of using magic. "There's no one, right this second, who needs justice meted out."
The glow continues to grow before it fades as a low laugh start to fill the night around them.
"Now I know why," Azrael remarks as she took a few steps back and plopped onto the steps leading up to the playhouse.
"Know what?"
She gets a careless wave as Azrael leans back, turning her gaze to the skies. With a long exhale, Azrael relaxed to the point they thought that she had actually fallen asleep. With a puzzled look at each other they took a few steps closer and got a knee jerk reaction of the raven haired Slytherin snapping up.
"Oi," Daphne press a hand to the side of Meissa's hand, pointing the wand away from Hermione and herself as the other girl's wide eyes took stock.
"Daph?"
"Yes." A low groan escapes Meissa as she rubs her forehead with a free hand. "How are you feeling?"
"Meh."
"That's a good way to sum that up," Hermione comments idly, getting a long side eye from the raven haired girl.
Daphne looks between the pair of them, silently assessing that things are still up in the air. In a lot of ways, that does make sense - nothing has been resolved despite the fact the last five to ten minutes have been extremely confusing.
"I'm sorry."
Daphne turns to Hermione before it registers that it came not from the Gryffindor but from her fellow Slytherin.
"For?" she asks tentatively.
"… Yelling at you." It shouldn't reassure Daphne that Meissa's reluctance to admit her faults were consistent. Yet, it did.
"Mm… I'm sorry too. For saying what I did. For not considering what you were feeling after all of that."
"Meissa," Hermione speaks up, digging a small hole in the sand with her foot. It'd be fair to say that Hermione was worried about Meissa's response. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have lashed out at you… you were only trying to help and… I was taking out my frustrations on you. Can you forgive me?"
"… So long you can forgive me."
"Of course."