The unspoken Bond

Untitled Part 6

As class came to an end, we gathered our things and rushed out of the tower room. It wasn't until we were halfway down the stairs that I noticed Hermione was with us, though I had no idea when she had joined. She seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, which was odd, but I didn't thought about it further.

I quickened my pace and excused myself from Harry, Ron, and Hermione, hurrying ahead without them.

When I reached the bottom of the tower, there she was, leaning casually against the stone wall, waiting for me. She gave me a little smile as I approached.

"Thought I'd pick you up," she said, linking her arm with mine. "So you don't get lost in this labyrinth of a school."

I returned her smile, grateful for the help. "Thanks," I said.

We made our way outside, walking down the stone steps that led out to the grounds. As we neared the open fields where the next class was being held, Pansy spotted Draco and the rest of her group. She dragged me along to join them, and I followed, still getting used to the dynamic of the clique.

We waited for about five minutes before Hagrid, the half-giant who apparently taught Care of Magical Creatures, arrived. He towered, his booming voice commanded immediate attention. "Alright, quiet down, everyone!" he called out, though most students were already quiet.

Hagrid led us to the edge of the Forest. "Now, open yer books," he instructed.

I blinked, glancing down at my copy of The Monster Book of Monsters, remembering how hard it had been to just carry the thing. Pansy and I exchanged looks as Draco voiced what we were all thinking.

"And how are we supposed to do that, exactly?" Draco sneered, looking annoyed.

Hagrid grinned widely. "Well, stroke it, o'course!" he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

There was a moment of awkward hesitation before everyone began cautiously stroking the spines of their books. Sure enough, mine stopped its twitching and opened calmly, much to my relief. However, one unfortunate boy wasn't so lucky—his book had latched onto his robes and was gnawing at his sleeve.

I couldn't help but chuckle a little, and I heard Draco snicker beside me swell. Our eyes met for a brief moment, and we shared an amused smirk before looking away.

"I...I thought they were funny," Hagrid said uncertainly.

"Oh, tremendously funny!" said Malfoy. "Really witty, wait until my dad hears that Dumbledore got this oaf teaching classes!"

"Shut up, Malfoy," said Harry.

I rolled my eyes at the scene unfolding in front of me—exactly the kind of drama Draco probably hoped for. His smirk grew wider as he strutted toward Harry, clearly amused. Draco's grin widened as he began to close the gap between him and Harry, while Harry stood his ground, clearly ready for whatever Draco had in mind.

Then, with a mock expression of terror, Draco's eyes widened, and he pointed behind Harry, shouting, "Dementor! Dementor!"

Harry instinctively whipped around, eyes searching frantically for any sign of danger. But of course, there was nothing. When Harry realized , he turned back to face Draco, who was now pulling up his hood and making exaggerated movements, mimicking the dementors with a dramatic flair. His friends, Crabbe and Goyle, joined in, laughing like it was the funniest thing ever.

Even Pansy rolled her eyes.

"Seriously," I said, with sarcasm, "how old are you guys?"

Draco paused, briefly glaring at me before resuming his theatrics, though the edge of his smile had dulled a little. Harry looked irritated but seemed determined not to let Draco get the reaction he was looking for. Ron, on the other hand, looked like he was about to tackle Draco to the ground.