Hermoine and Dumbledore apperated from the edge of Hogwarts into Hogsmeade a few minutes later.
"We got him. The dementors are taking him to Azbakan," Ron told them.
"What about the muggles?" Dumbledore asked.
"We got most of them. Probably give them a memory charm or somewhat and portkey them to a muggle hospital. Safest thing, really," Ron said.
Hermoine nodded, looking upset that her brush with philanthropy hadn't turned out the way she expected. "It was a good thing we tried to do. Wasn't it?" she asked, looking for reassurance.
"A very good thing. But even the best of intentions can go awry," Dumbledore commented, his words sounding strangely ominous.
"Where's Marie?" Hermoine said suddenly, looking around.
"Oh, she's right over…" Ron said, turning and stopping short once he realized she wasn't right over there.
There were signs of a scuffle, and a broom taking off at the spot where Ron had last seen her, and he cursed. "Brilliant. We nip the fake, and his partner nips Marie."
Stephanie approached and said, "It was some other guy who started the riot. Dragon somebody…"
"Draco Malfoy?" Hermoine said, surprised.
"I think that was it."
The group stood in dejected silence, uncertain of what to do next.
The figure landed the broom next to a large boulder on top of a hill overlooking Hogsmeade.
"Put your hand inside the stone," the figure directed calmly.
Marie approached the boulder and stopped.
"Go on," the figure prompted.
"And if I don't?"
"The dementors are under my control. If you don't do as I ask, I will order them to kill your friend."
Marie snorted. "Your compatriot, you mean."
The figure laughed. "No, no. I'm afraid he was being completely truthful when he said that he was trying to protect you. He just happened to be impersonating the wrong person at the wrong time."
Marie furrowed her brow, unsure of the figure's truthfulness.
"Snape's death was a complete accident. My slave had residual instructions to find the exact locations of the E'Chode and report back to me. Snape apparently startled him at his work, and he reacted in self-defense. Couldn't have worked out better," the figure mused.
Marie looked at the boulder, torn.
"If that doesn't convince you, I can always leave a few dementors to keep Ron, Hermoine, and Stephanie company," the figure said smoothly.
Marie knew then that she had no choice, and reached inside the rock to pull out the first E'Chode.
Ron and Hermoine, despite their desire to round up the accomplice as quickly as possible, spent the next few hours catching muggles and putting memory charms on them. Dumbledore spent that time creating portkeys out of the metal rings of a barrel.
"Go with them. Make sure they get checked into the hospital all right," Hermoine said to Stephanie, as they arranged the now blissfully complacent muggles around the rings.
Just before they winked out of existence, Hermoine cast a memory charm on Stephanie.
"Will they be fine?" Ron said.
"Yes. They won't remember us, but they'll remember the accident and that they need medical attention," Hermoine said.
"I wish we knew where they were taking her," Ron said in frustration.
"Maybe there's something in Snape's office," Hermoine said.
They found Erin sitting in Snape's office and quickly filled her in. She looked outraged.
"You can help us," Hermoine said.
"Doing what?" Erin responded.
"Looking for any sort of clue that might tell us where Draco took Marie," Hermoine explained, slowly and patiently.
"Um," Erin said, rummaging through the piles lying on Snape's desk.
"Here. They were working on this," she said, shoving the scroll and the translation into Hermoine's hand.
Hermoine and Ron poured over it. "That's what they were after. The E'Chode," Hermoine said, triumphantly.
"But look here. There are only four stones. What's the fifth place for?" Ron asked.
Hermoine said, "Perhaps it didn't need any protection, or it's a safe haven for anyone planning on working with the E'Chode. Now where's another magic…"
"Azkaban," both of them said at the same time.
Hermoine nodded ironically. "We didn't stop him. We just sent him right back to his master."
"Let's go," Ron said.
Hermoine cast a memory charm on Erin and handed her a small portkey stone, causing her to promptly vanish to the hospital with the others. Then Hermoine and Ron both left.
Marie followed the figure down the darkened passageways of Azkaban. She had braved a giant spider in the woods outside Hogwarts, slogged through the sewers of Diagon Alley, and climbed the sheer cliffs of the Island of Drear to retrieve the other three stones. She felt as though any second she might drop and never get up. But her task appeared to be far from over. The figure relentlessly pressed on to the end of the passageway.
"Put your hand right here," the figure said, tapping the center of the blank wall.
Marie pressed, and the wall slid away, revealing a flight of stairs. They followed them down deep into the very heart of the prison. After what seemed like forever, the stairs ended at a large cavernous space.
"Lumos," the figure said, and light sprang from the wand tip. In the center of the cavern were four impossibly large stones.
"Move them," the figure commanded.
"What?"
"They're magically weighted. Shouldn't be any problem for you," the figure said dismissively.
Marie pushed one experimentally, and it rose easily to a standing position.
"Make a doorframe," the figure said.
Marie propped up the other post, slid the threshold between them, and managed to place the final stone on top as the lintel by standing on tiptoe. As soon as the last stone was set in place, the doorway revealed not empty space, but a room.
"Excellent," the figure said, dragging Marie back up the stairs and through the endless hallways to a cell.
A dementor standing guard opened the door for them, and the figure peeked in. "Looks as though the Polyjuice Potion has worn off."
Inside the cell was a shivering lump. It lifted its head weakly, and Marie gasped when she saw his face. She knew him, that was…
"Do keep Potter company until I return," the figure said, pushing Marie inside and shutting the door behind her.
Nice catch, Kate Potter!
