Hermione's eyes widened, her voice trembling with shock. "You... you're the third one."
Ginny turned to her, confusion etched across her face. "What?"
"The symbol," Hermione said, her voice low but urgent. "You have it, Ginny."
Ginny blinked, her mind racing to catch up. She couldn't process what Hermione was saying. "But... how?" she managed to ask.
Hermione shook her head, as if the answers were just out of reach. "I have no clue. But somehow, you three are connected to Skarooth."
A question gnawed at Hermione's thoughts. If she wasn't one of the marked, then why was she so deeply entangled in this mystery? Was she merely a vessel, a means to unite these three? But why her?
Determined to find the answers, Hermione took a deep breath and said, "Come on, hurry. We need to get inside Daphne's bag. Maybe everything will start to make sense now."
Ginny, still reeling from the shock, hesitated. Her thoughts were a whirlwind of confusion and disbelief. "But... I haven't shown you my—"
Hermione shook her head in disbelief. "Ginny, come on! We'll deal with it later, okay?"
Ginny let out a disappointed sigh, her shoulders slumping. "Later never arrives."
Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but the words died on her lips as a piercing scream echoed through the library. It was a woman's scream—older, familiar, and filled with terror.
Their eyes met, wide with horror.
"What was that?" Ginny whispered, her voice trembling.
"Something bad," Hermione replied, quickly grabbing the rest of her clothes. She dressed with frantic speed, her instincts screaming at her that danger was near. "I can feel it. Hurry!"
The girls rushed out of their hidden spot, their footsteps echoing in the quiet library. But when they reached the front, the table where Madam Pince usually sat was empty, her chair eerily abandoned.
They exchanged a look of fear. Something was very, very wrong.
Ginny muttered to herself, "Where did she go?"
Hermione moved around the table, and her breath caught in her throat. There, on the ground, lay Madam Pince, blood pooling around her arm. Hermione dropped to her knees, her voice trembling. "Madam Pince!"
Ginny hurried to her side, her face pale with shock.
Madam Pince's eyes fluttered open, weak but still conscious. She glanced up at Hermione. "Why... why are both of you here?"
Her gaze shifted to Ginny, her voice barely a whisper. "Miss Weasley... save yourself. They're looking for you."
Hermione's heart raced. "Who? Who's looking for her?"
Madam Pince's breath hitched as she struggled to speak. "They... they look like humans. But they wear the faces of Dementors."
Hermione's blood ran cold. This was exactly what Fleur had described—the masked creatures, dark and menacing.
She tried to help Madam Pince up. "We need to get you somewhere safe."
But Madam Pince shook her head weakly. "No... leave me. Save your friend."
Ginny, who had been frozen in shock, finally found her voice, though it trembled with fear. "Why me, Madam? Why just me?"
Pince's eyes flickered with fear as she replied, "They were chanting... chanting three names—Ginny, Fleur, and Daphne. They want the three of you."
Ginny's heart pounded in her chest, and Hermione's mind raced, trying to make sense of it all. But there was no time. They had to act, and fast.
As Hermione and Ginny exchanged frantic glances, the air around them grew colder, the temperature dropping rapidly. A shadow fell over them, and Hermione's heart skipped a beat. She felt it before she saw it—a presence, dark and unnatural, creeping closer.
Ginny didn't notice it at first, too consumed by the horror of Madam Pince's words. But then, a strange sound—a low, guttural hiss—reached her ears, and she turned slowly, dread pooling in her stomach.
Behind her, emerging from the shadows, was a figure unlike anything she had ever seen. It had the shape of a man, tall and thin, but its skin was ashen gray, stretched tight over gaunt bones. Its face was worse—a grotesque mask of decay, with hollow, black eyes that seemed to suck in all light. Wisps of darkness clung to its form, swirling like smoke, and its breath came in ragged, rasping gasps. The creature's mouth was a twisted, gaping hole, emitting a faint, chilling whisper.
Ginny's body froze in place as the humanized Dementor loomed over her, its bony fingers reaching out with a predatory hunger, ready to strike. Its touch hovered just inches from her skin, promising to drain the warmth and life from her.
"Ginny!" Hermione screamed, her voice cutting through the paralysis of fear.
In a desperate panic, Hermione grabbed her wand, her mind racing for a spell. Her hand shook as she pointed it at the creature, the words barely forming on her lips. "Expulso!"
A blast of light erupted from her wand, hitting the Dementor squarely in the chest. The force of the spell sent it reeling backward with a horrific screech, its body crumpling against the wall, dark tendrils of smoke evaporating from where the spell struck.
Hermione rushed to Ginny's side, panting, her heart pounding in her chest. "Are you okay?" she asked, her voice trembling..
Ginny, still shaken, nodded slowly. But as the reality of what had just happened hit her, she couldn't hold back the flood of emotions. Without thinking, she flung her arms around Hermione, pulling her into a tight hug.
Ginny buried her face in Hermione's shoulder, her voice muffled as she whispered, "I was so so close to my death, and you haven't even seen me without –"
Ginny stopped midway. Madam was with them.
Hermione patted her back reassuringly, though she felt a bit awkward, especially with Madam Pince lying nearby. "It's okay, Ginny," she murmured, trying to calm her down. "You're safe now."
Ginny pulled back slightly, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears, and in a moment of pure emotion, she leaned in and kissed Hermione on the cheek, a brief but heartfelt gesture of gratitude and fear.
Hermione's cheeks flushed, and she glanced quickly at Madam Pince, who was still conscious but weak, her gaze flickering between the two girls.
Clearing her throat, Hermione gently separated herself from Ginny, trying to regain her composure. "Let's get out of here," she said softly, avoiding Ginny's eyes as she helped her to her feet.