Atonement

How did I get myself into this?

Pacing around the tent, agitation plain on my face. Diggory and I were pacing concentric circles; Delacour and Krum were sitting and looking resigned.

The whistle blew, and Delacour left, leaving the three of us alone in the tent, wondering how we were going to face dragons.

When the dragons had been drawn, neither of the foreigners had shown surprise. Diggory had reacted violently. I had had to control my reaction so strongly I had had an accidental disconnect. It had taken me nearly three minutes to calm down enough to come back to my body, propped against a tent wall with eyes wide and staring. Nobody had noticed. I had come back to pick my dragon and instantly started to pace.

I stopped suddenly. How thick could I get? I just had to ask the dragon. Sure, it was magical and dangerous, but it was entirely based on instinct. It wouldn't be hard to mingle.

The whistle blew once more. Krum left with a grunt in my direction. I waited patiently. When the whistle blew once more, I said, "Good luck, Cedric."

"How are you so bloody calm?" he demanded. I merely shrugged.

"Good luck," I said again, beginning my pacing in an attempt to calm myself.

The moans and groans were harder to listen to this time. Maybe it was because I liked Cedric-he was nice to me.

In any event, the sounds from the crowd made me jump and look fearfully around every time, though I knew I was in no danger.

Finally, the whistle blew one last time. I walked, trembling, into the enclosure.

Most of the people in the stands cheered and clapped. I took a moment to savor that, the feeling of belonging, the feeling of acceptance.

But only for a moment.

I sat down at the very edge of the enclosure and began to meditate. My disconnect happened nearly instantly this time, and I soared neatly into the dragon's mind. I made sure to speak respectfully but not subserviently.

Who are you? the dragon roared in my mind.

I am Hermione. I have come to ask for the metal ovuloid structure inside your clutch of eggs.

The what?

You have five eggs at your feet. You have another that looks like an egg but is not. I need the one that is not.

How can I trust you, tiny human?

Have I tried to hurt you even once?

No . . .

That is how. Please. I give you my word, your eggs will not be harmed. Not for the first time, I thanked the gods lies were impossible in the disconnect.

I waited patiently for the f\dragon to reach her verdict.

Very well. But should one egg be harmed . . . She left the threat hanging.

Thank you. I left the disconnect and checked my watch. In the time that had taken nearly three hours for us, barely two minutes had passed for the rest of the people.

So time flowed differently in the disconnect, I put that tidbit in the back of my mind to stew, then stood, cracks echoing from my spine and knees as I straightened.

I approached cautiously. When I reached the clutch, I examined the eggs, searching for the tell-tale glint.

There! Buried beneath the others, a hint of gold came through.I kneeled and carefully moved the real, granite-colored eggs to the side. I felt the dragon quivering and knew she was afraid.

I grabbed the golden egg hastily-too hastily. One egg rolled from the spot I had nestled it at. It came to a gentle stop near the dragon's forepaw.

I had perhaps three seconds before the dragon unfroze and began to hunt me for what it saw as an unforgivable breach of my promise. I made the most of them, sprinting all-out for the closest edge of the enclosure, the heavy egg underneath my arm. I raised my wand as a cover for when it attacked me, guessing it would go for the fire-breathing approach-it would be annoying and an inconvenience, since my clothes would be burned off, but I would not be harmed. Fire was a lesser element.

I had guessed correctly. It roared, spitting fire and melting the walls of the enclosure. Within my bubble, I was safe.

It could not last forever. Still running for the exit as fast as I could, I felt the shield dissolve in a groan. The dragon's continuous fire was too strong for a hasty shield I had not spent much time developing.

The flames consumed my clothes in a second. The egg cradled in my arm began to melt, telling me in no uncertain terms that if I didn't get out soon, I would be melted to dross in a fire at least 1064 degrees Celsius.

The magic guttered under my skin like a flickering candle. Keeping the intense heat at bay was using my reserves faster than I could replenish them, and I knew without a doubt that, unless I could get to safety or stop the dragon, I would be killed.

I chose the latter. My mind spiraled free, my body kept running, and I slid into the dragon's mind, forcing its throat to close.

The corner of my mind controlling my body directed it toward the gate. The dragon struggled against me all the while, but I would not let go until my body was out of its range.

Clothes smoldering to ashes and hair burning, mind going black from the energy I had exerted, I slipped back into my body soon enough to see the dragon's tamers Stun it. I stopped running, dropped the egg, and fell, face-first, into the dirt, where I lay, naked, for a long time.