WHAT IS SKARWAND? Hermione wondered.
Hermione's eyes were fixed on Maxime as she produced a wand from her robe—not McGonagall's, but a sleek, ebony-black wand that exuded a dark energy. With a swift motion, Maxime pointed it toward the girls suspended in the air.
It was then that Hermione noticed something strange—their clothes had changed. Fleur, Daphne, and Ginny were now dressed in simple, flowing white robes, the kind one might wear for a ritual. Clearly, they had been prepared for whatever dark magic Maxime intended.
"No barrier should come between me and the girls," Maxime said with a commanding tone.
With a flick of her wand, a wave of black roses spiraled from the tip, swirling around the three girls. The enchanted flowers moved like a storm, enveloping them in a hauntingly beautiful yet ominous display. As the dark magic enveloped them, their robes slowly dissolved, vanishing into thin air as the roses completed their sinister task.
Hermione watched, frozen in shock, as the spell left the girls naked, suspended in the air like offerings for whatever twisted ritual Maxime was planning.
Hermione's heart raced. She couldn't believe what she was witnessing, a feeling creeping up inside her, one she didn't want to acknowledge—especially not here, not now.
"Must be enjoying the view, Granger," Maxime taunted, her eyes gleaming with a twisted amusement.
Hermione's face flushed crimson. Did Maxime know? Did she somehow understand what had happened between her and Ginny?
Maxime's tone was casual, almost mocking. "I noticed how close you've gotten to these three witches. Something must've happened, didn't it?"
Hermione clenched her teeth, her voice tight with fury and shame. "Cover them, please."
She licked her own lips, "Ah, so that's how my Fleur looked. I always wondered... maybe I should've had a taste of her myself."
"You're sick. Twisted," she spat, barely able to contain her revulsion.
Maxime groaned mockingly, "Aahhh… okay, I will cover them."
With a flick of her wand, the black roses shifted, providing minimal coverage, barely enough to hide the girls' breasts and their intimate area. The cruel smirk never left Maxime's face as she watched Hermione's reaction.
Hermione's anger boiled over. "You sick piece of–"
Before she could finish, Maxime stepped forward in one swift motion, grabbing Hermione by the throat. Hermione's feet dangled helplessly, her hands clawing at Maxime's massive grip as she struggled for breath. The difference in their size made Hermione seem like a child in the giantess's hands.
With a forceful throw, Maxime flung Hermione to the ground, sending her tumbling across the cold floor, "Know your place."
Hermione gasped, struggling to regain her breath, her body aching from the impact as she glared up at the towering figure before her.
Maxime stood before the girls, her voice filled with dark intent as she began chanting, "Skarwandus Evoco."
Hermione felt a shift in the air, like an approaching storm. Her heart raced as a distant growl reached her ears, growing louder with each passing second.
Maxime repeated the chant, her voice booming with power, "Skarwandus Evoco."
Suddenly, the symbols on the girls' bodies began to shimmer and evaporate into the air. The mark from Daphne's wrist, Fleur's symbol below her neck, and Ginny's mark between her waist and hips all dissolved, swirling upward as if being drawn toward some dark force.
The growl was now thunderous, reverberating through the temple walls as a beast, towering and majestic with thick brown fur, stepped into the chamber. It was Skarooth—the very creature that had started all of this when Hermione first ventured into the Forbidden Forest.
Maxime, undaunted, smiled at the creature as though it were an old friend. "Oh, you came right on time," she said.
But Skarooth wasn't there to be petted. Its fury was evident in its wild, glowing eyes, and its gaze shifted between Maxime and Hermione as if deciding which one to devour first.
Hermione's pulse quickened. She didn't have her wand, and panic crept in as she watched the beast. Yet Maxime stood, unflinching, completely calm.
Meanwhile, the humanized Dementors, creatures who had once shown no fear, were now trembling. One by one, they began to vanish, fleeing in terror as the presence of Skarooth overtook the room.
Maxime opened her arms wide, her voice echoing through the temple as she chanted, "Skarwandus Evoco."
The air crackled with energy, and from the swirling symbols, the Skarwand finally took shape. It didn't look like a single wand—it was three distinct wands melded together, forming a long, sleek piece of ancient white wood.
The wand dropped into Maxime's outstretched hand. She looked at it with a triumphant gleam in her eyes. "Finally," she said, her voice trembling with excitement. "The Skarwand is in my hand, and with it, I will control the entire species of Skarooth."
As Skarooth's gaze fell upon the wand, its ferocity began to subside. The beast, once wild and untamed, slowly lowered its head, as though succumbing to Maxime's command.
Maxime's voice turned cold and commanding. "You must be hungry, my beast," she said, gesturing toward Hermione and the three hovering girls. "Eat these four. Their fresh meat will make you strong for the next phase... and soon, I will produce countless more of your kind."
Skarooth's eyes glinted as it stared at the four girls, hunger flickering in its gaze, and it took a step closer.