Magic? || Years 1-5

Follow The Spiders: Year 2

She almost escaped his hold when Snape shouted, startling her.

"Hurry up, I've got to take you all to Herbology," He ordered, marching off to the doors.

Harry and Dean dragged the two of them to the back of the room, both still struggling.

They weren't set loose until the entire class was headed down to the greenhouses.

Professor Sprout's assignment for them that day was to prune the Abyssinian Shrivelfigs she had been growing. Amisty tugged off the dead leaves, working together with Ron and Harry.

It was quite calming, a good way to vent off some of her anger as long as she imagined the leaves and dead twigs were Malfoy himself.

At the thought, a slight, wry smile drifted up to her face.

"I just want to say, Harry, that I'm sorry I ever suspected you," Ernie Macmillan had joined them, looking very awkward. "I know you'd never attack Hermione Granger, and I apologize for all the stuff I said. We're all in the same boat now, and, well -- "

Ernie held out his hand and Harry shook it without hesitation. After that, Ernie and Hannah joined them.

"That Draco Malfoy character, he seems very pleased with all this, doesn't he? D'you know, I think he might be Slytherin's heir," Ernie commented, snapping off dead twigs.

"That's clever of you," Ron replied stiffly

He hadn't forgiven Ernie as quickly as Harry did.

"Do you think it's Malfoy, Harry?" Ernie asked, oblivious to Ron's cold demeanor to him.

"No," Harry answered, his voice firm and sure. Ernie and Hannah's eyes went wide at his certainty.

Amisty focused her attention back on the plant, trying to ignore the awkward silence that had fallen between the group. So when Harry hit her rather harshly on the hand with his shears she jumped.

"Ouch!" Ron exclaimed, also a victim of the hit. "What're you -- "

"What was that for -- " Amisty's voice overlapped with his until he cut them out when he pointed out a line of spiders.

They were scurrying along quickly as if going to a meeting.

"Oh, yeah. But we can't follow them now -- " Ron started, but Amisty jabbed him with her elbow to stop his talking.

Ernie and Hannah were listening in.

"Looks like they're heading for the Forbidden Forest..." Harry whispered, his words going unnoticed by the two Hufflepuffs as Amisty pretended to accidentally drop her shears on the ground.

Apparently, Ron and Harry didn't know the importance of subtlety.

Once class ended and Professor Sprout was leading them to their Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson the group of friends trailed off to the back of the group of Gryffindors.

"We'll have to use the Invisibility Cloak again. We can take Fang with us. He's used to going into the forest with Hagrid, he might be some help," Harry decided, keeping his voice low.

"Right. Er -- aren't there -- aren't there supposed to be werewolves in the forest?" Ron asked, fidgeting with his wand nervously.

"And bugbears..." Amisty muttered, lightening the mood only slightly.

She had told them all about the story, leaving out the part about Malfoy. Her words pulled out a wan smile from Ron, and even Harry cracked a tiny grin.