Elliot felt warmth in her robes, then it seeped deeper into her skin and further still. It felt like it was melting into her bones, calming her trembling and driving away even the memory of the dementor's chilling presence around her. The warming charm was proving to be effective at the moment.

"Do you apparate here often?"

"Sometimes," she replied. "Sometimes I apparate at other roads nearby." She pointed again, less weakly than before, in other directions to give the general idea as to where she came and went. "When I don't apparate I fly home in my raven form." Tonight of all nights, and here of all places had to be where she'd apparate and encounter a dementor. For a split second it seemed as though what had happened was some cruel joke, and she was the butt of it.

"Were you alone?"

Andromeda's additional question brought her out of that momentary thought. "I thought I was. It kept coming, but there was this...huge patronus. It...looked like a dragon. I don't know who it could have been. I was fading out by then."

"I saw it too." Andromeda nodded. "But whoever made it has gone. It was not you though?" She shook her head with Elliot. That was strange. She would report that in detail when they got back. Someone had reported a dragon patronus before, she was sure.

Andromeda turned to Amarylis. "Do you remember anyone with a dragon patronus?" She asked.

Then she looked back to Elliot. "Did anyone know you were going to apparate here, tonight?"

Dragon patronus.  Amaryllis fished though, recollecting any classmates she might know, any colleagues--"Dragon?" she repeated breathily, "...no. I'm sorry."  The Aurors--they'd have something like a patronus registry, wouldn't they? The Ministry tracked underage magic, could identify breaches of the Statute. Surely they had some tool that would help identify the Patronus-bearer. Who was either a benevolent bystander, or the party responsible for the Dementors' usual behavior.  The party responsible for all these horrible attacks.

Though Maree was a crack shot with charms and tolerably skilled at defensive magic, she was once more grateful for Auror Gamp's presence. Her own presence here only felt a mite useful; any body could stand here, fill a space, cast a patronus...  The only thing she could particularly offer was to strongly counsel Elliot not to Apparate onto Muggle streets.  That was a problem in and of itself, but given the witch's ordeal, she would save that for a mother time to be said.

Although-- "I'll do a trace spell," she said.  Obliviators routinely performed these spells in order to sense any residual magic in an area.  It was a necessary step for a cleanup crew, but it also could probably--well maybe give some indication of who had been there, if they left any enchantment or trace behind.

Unfortunately, by the time she had cast a quick Goleya, the magical tracings--highlighted in green--left at the scene were ambiguous.  Great green swathes covered the space about them, blurring as they dissipated.  One spot, which she walked over to, still glowed strongly.  "Is this about where they fired at you?" she asked Auror Gamp. It was probably where they'd Apparated from, if so.

When Andromeda asked about the patronus and whether it was hers Elliot shook her head. Truth be told, she couldn't even conjure a fully formed patronus if she had tried. Had she tried a little harder she should have been able to at least have the charm be strong enough to make something of a wall between herself and the dementor.

"Did anyone know you were going to apparate here, tonight?"

She shook her head again. "No, nobody. Nobody I know..." It had to have been some stranger. She was certain that she didn't have any enemies, what could she have done to have one of those? All she ever did was go to work, go home, and occasionally go out.

Elliot watched silently as this other witch went about her work. She wondered if she was allowed to go home now. That was all she wanted really, just to feel somewhere safe again and be away from the memory of the moment. But, until they said otherwise Elliot remained where she was. Now she really was wanting that hot meal she had been anticipating since she got off work today.

Andromeda looked up at Amaryllis. She got to her feet and walked back down the alley. She approached again, retracing steps. "Yes. That seems about right. What can you see?"

"Nothing," Amaryllis said with a frustrated sigh.  "I mean, I can tell that this was where they Disapparated from, but that's not like... a clue..." she looked at the Auror to confirm this. 

"I don't know. Aurors have a way of tracking abnormal activity, right? Apparation wouldn't really show up, but maybe... the curse?"  Probably not. If there was an alarm that went up every time someone slung a curse or a hex, the Aurors would be driven mad across the country.  "I don't know..." she summed up helplessly, looking between the two. 

"You look freezing," she said to Elliot.  She reached into her pockets for more chocolate.  Nothing.  "I...maybe..." Looking around, she picked up a rock and converted it into a drab-looking teacup in the palm of her hand.  Pointing her wand at the cup, she cried, "Cacaotica calidus!" She tried not to look too pleased when a cup of hot cocoa was produced.  Transfiguration had always been one of her best subjects.  "Here, this will help even more," she encouraged, handing the cup to Elliot.

To Gamp, she furthered, "Would you have the patronus forms of past convicts on file?  I know that they do that for Animagi..."

Elliot quietly accepted the transfigured cup of hot chocolate that was offered her. She was thinking clearer than before, but was still in a bit of shock, thus almost numbly accepted anything that was put in front of her line of vision. The warmth from Andromeda's charm, and now the hot chocolate  warming her hands made her feel as though she were enveloped in an overly fluffy blanket. Even so, the image of the dementor still lingered in her mind's eye and she couldn't help herself from shivering anyway.

For a while she didn't even take a sip of the hot chocolate, her gaze focusing on nothing in particular in the distance. Unfortunately, with it being night, all she saw were shadows and the overall gloom of the hour. It had to be her imagination but she thought she saw the ragged, ripped cloak of the creature fluttering as it slipped through the shadows. The image would appear and disappear as quick as a blink and it was steadily driving her to paranoia.

"No. No. Stay away from me, please." Her voice was a barely audible whisper as her lips trembled and her eyes widened behind her glasses in fear. The cup began to rattle in her less than firm hold, threatening to slip of her hands entirely.

And it did, shattering and spilling its still steaming contents to the ground when Elliot pressed her hands to her temples. The sound of its rattling breath came in a crescendo within her thoughts, rattling her brain and her already frayed nerves; those dark, emaciated hands rummaged through her memories again, scraping away at the mess of thoughts in her brain like they were scabs that still bled when picked at. She curled up into herself, her eyes shut tight and her hands still pressing hard against her skull.

"Leave me alone. Leave me alone," she whimpered.

Andromeda was disappointed Amaryllis could not see anything. "It was just a normal stunner." Andromeda shrugged. "I hope." Any startled witch or wizard might do it. They might not have realised. Andromeda's gut told her otherwise. "Maybe. Patroni can change. I am sure someone reported a dragon patronus before. I know! Norwich last week. Someone mentioned a dragon then. If it is someone in IDREAD they are terrible at their job." All of a sudden Elliot dropped her hot chocolate and cried. Andromeda was on alert. The dementor was gone. There was nobody there. "Let us get you to St. Mungo's to check you out." Andromeda suggested.