Just as the needle was about to pierce her skin.
Hermione's figure suddenly twisted into a tight blur and vanished into thin air with a series of crackling pops.
The next second, the syringe passed through the spot where she had been, and the person behind her stumbled forward, nearly falling to the ground.
Then space warped again, and Hermione reappeared in the same spot.
It was as though everything that had just happened had been an illusion.
"Whoa... that scared the hell out of me."
Hermione patted her chest.
A moment earlier, the magic surrounding her had detected an unusual disturbance behind her, followed by a sharp rush of air.
In desperation, she had performed a silent Apparition and vanished on the spot.
Since she hadn't thought of a destination at all, she had reappeared in the same place a second later.
Fortunately, the Spellbook had enhanced Hermione's magic, ensuring that every cast succeeded. Even with her mind completely blank, she hadn't suffered Splinching from a failed Apparition.
That blink in place had also successfully dodged the sneak attack.
Only then did Hermione have a chance to look at the person before her.
Dressed in a light gray combat suit, the figure looked straight out of Assassin's Creed. Though a mask covered her face, her build suggested she was a woman.
The masked woman seemed just as stunned that her strike had missed. She froze for two seconds before attacking again.
"Repel the Enemy Three Feet!"
Hermione hadn't noticed her earlier, which had allowed her to get close and nearly pull off her ambush. Now that Hermione was prepared, there was no way she would let the woman run wild.
A beam of white light struck the masked woman in the chest. As though hit by a tremendous blow,