Hermione sat crankily at a table in the back of the Gryffindor common room; She was still trying to calm down after her meeting with Malfoy. "That self-centered prat," she muttered, crumpling up a piece of parchment with a fit of anger before realizing to late that it was her homework for Transfiguration. "Damn it," She grumbled as she tried to straighten out the sheet. The parchment was decidedly against flattening out though; with a deep groan she pulled out a new piece of parchment preparing to transcribe it all over again.
"Stupid Malfoy," she muttered under her breath, she had been unable to get his cruel smirk out of her mind since she had left the library.
She spent a few minutes writing, her mind wandered from Malfoy and happily immersed itself in her work. A cool breeze blew across the table from the near-by window, floating papers to the floor. As she pulled the window shut, something caught her eyes. Three figures were skirting the lake, dodging behind trees and rocks, heading towards the forbidden forest, towards Hagrid's hut. Hermione watched interestedly, wondering who they were. One figure, the leader, stopped and waited for the two larger ones. Hermione strained her eyes trying to catch some feature in the disappearing light. A shock of white blond hair got her attention, immediately she felt her blood start to boil.
"Malfoy," she hissed, her fists clenching.
If the leader was Malfoy there was no doubt about the other two, Crabbe and Goyle. Hermione jumped to her feet, turning to get Harry and Ron, she suddenly remembered that they were at Quidditch practice. Ron had been so delighted to land the keeper position on the Gryffindor team. He and Harry spent a great deal of time practicing now. She glanced around the room looking for anyone that could help. The common room was empty save Neville Longbottom and a few first years.
"Well, I'll have to stop them myself," Hermione muttered.
She slipped quietly up to the boy's dorm, finding it empty; she went to Harry's trunk and dug out the invisibility cloak. "I'll go warn Hagrid. I'll be damned if I let Malfoy ruin another class for me!"
Hermione darted back down to the common room and pushed through the portrait hole. Leaning into a dark alcove, she put the cloak on. Running as quietly as possible, she soon reached the main doors and was out on the grounds. Since she was invisible, she could cut right across the lawn instead of circling through the forest in order to stay hidden. She took a deep breath, pulling the cloak tighter, and began to run.
Hermione reached Hagrid's hut only a few minutes before Malfoy, there was no sign of Hagrid, however. There was no answer when she knocked on the door. She realized that Hagrid must have gone down to Hogsmeade. Suddenly she heard something. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle could be seen peaking through the trees at the hut, Panicked, she looked for somewhere to hide. She was pressed up against the hut wall; there weren't any bushes near her. Malfoy carefully crept forward into the clearing. Hermione's eyes darted around her desperate for some place to escape to. Malfoy glanced right at her, and then away, he didn't seem to notice her. Hermione stared at him in complete shock. "Idiot!" she hissed softly, smacking her forehead with the palm of her head. Of course he didn't see her; she was invisible. Malfoy, however, paused and looked in her direction again, he seemed to have heard something. He walked towards her. She sank slowly to the ground as he leaned forward to look through the window into the hut. Hermione thought her heart had stopped as she looked up at him, his hand rested against the wall only a foot above her head. But Malfoy was unaware of her presence and he drew back from the wall. Turning to look at where Crabbe and Goyle were hiding, he called out to them.
"That drunken oaf isn't home and he must have taken that brutish beast with him."
Hermione realized that Malloy was right, Fang was nowhere to be seen, Crabbe and Goyle stepped tentatively into the open. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief as Malfoy headed towards the paddock. It was only then that Hermione saw that it wasn't empty.
