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Harry swerved again as the serpent lunged at him; he soared upward and straight to the place where, he prayed, the door stood open: Ron, Hermione, and Goyle had vanished; Malfoy was screaming and holding Harry so tightly it hurt.
Suddenly the weight behind him seemed lighter. The reduced weight on the broom gave it a boost of speed and he sped through the opening and collided with the wall in the corridor beyond.
He struggled to sit up, but was nearly knocked on his back again as Hermione scrambled over to him. She crashed into him, pulling him into a tight hug.
"Harry! You're okay? Thank goodness! I was so afraid you wouldn't make it."
Harry shook his head and ran a hand through his hair as he shook off the fall he had just taken. Ron and Hermione were alright. Goyle was unconscious but seemed to be breathing.
"What happened to Draco?" Hermione asked. "Oh Harry, I'm sorry. It's not you're fault. You did the best you could."
"Aw, mate, I thought you had him. He was right behind you." Ron clamped a hand on Harry's shoulder.
Harry looked around. He would have sworn that Draco had been with him when he crashed into the wall. Suddenly he heard a loud chirp behind him and he felt something trying to crawl up his side. He glanced down to see a white ferret beside him, scrambling up into his lap, attempting to climb him like a tree. It made a high-pitched sound accompanied by rapid chattering and Harry reached down and wrapped a hand tightly around the frantic, wriggling creature.
"Um?" Harry held up the small white ferret in his hands. "He was. I mean he is... or um I think he's fine. I guess." He shrugged
"What?" Hermione's eyes widened in shock? "Is that him?"
"You turned him into a ferret?" Ron laughed. "How? That's brilliant!"
"'Harry! How could you?" Hermione scolded. "This is no time for pranks or revenge."
"What? Wait! No! I didn't do this! I'm not quite sure what happened! I think he may have done it to himself. Except he's not changing back. I'm not sure what to do?" He held up the small, white animal, helplessly.
Malfoy struggled in Harry's grip, whining and attempting to climb into his sleeve. Harry squirmed at the contact. The soft fur tickled and tiny claws dug into his skin. Harry grabbed hold of the small animal again and tried to pull him off of his arm. He held Malfoy at arms length and was rewarded with a hiss as he scrambled to get closer to Harry again.
"What the...? Fine!" Harry said, giving in and cradling the animal close to his chest. Draco squirmed and burrowed between Harry's arms, trying to find another way to climb under his shirt. Harry held him tighter, trying to calm the scared animal and keep its claws out of his skin. The tight grip soothed the ferret and it made a soft clucking noise of contentment.
Harry's friends gave him an incredulous look at the sight of him holding Malfoy. The three of them just stared at each other in silence for a moment until a commotion around the corner pulled them back to the immediacy of the moment.
"Harry, we need to go," Hermione said urgently. "We've got to find the snake."
"What about Malfoy?" Ron asked.
The ferret-- Draco didn't look like he was willing to be separated from Harry any time soon. "Honestly, he'll do less harm as a ferret," Harry shrugged.
"Sure, and you can always use him as bait." Ron said with a gleam in his eye.
"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed.
Harry's laugh was cut short when he felt claws dig in deeper again.