The Astronomy Tower was deserted. The eleven o'clock breeze ripped through the room like a knife through ice. I shivered and pulled Harry's Invisibility Cloak tighter around me, sitting on my legs on the cold stone windowsill and looking out onto the Hogwarts grounds. The sky was deep gray, color of slate when it's wet. I looked outside the window, straight down, and took in a sharp breath at the dizzying sensation in my stomach. From behind me, I heard a thud. Whirling around, the Cloak fell off my head slightly and revealed my brown hair: exposed.
"Granger?" came the voice, but I couldn't see where from. I squinted into the darkness, gripping my wand tightly.
"What do you want?" I asked the formless voice. "I know more spells than you can count, so don't try anything fishy." The person laughed, somewhat coldly. I shivered.
"Don't I know it. It's hard to miss that when you flaunt it at every opportune time." The invisible boy ripped off his own Cloak and stared at me, his eyes the same color as the sky. My jaw dropped.
"Malfoy?!?"
"The one and only," he replied coolly, looking me up and down. "Jesus Granger, you look a fright." I scowled and pulled the Cloak back over my head, hiding my disheveled hair and bloodshot eyes. Stupid Ferret; my appearance is none of his bloody business.
"Sod off."
"Hey I got here first!" he said indignantly, stepping up to where he thought I was. He was three feet to my left. I watched him curiously. "I didn't kick you out when you came barging in here you know."
I scoffed. "How do I know you're telling the truth? You could've come in here afterwards and I never would've known the difference." He smirked.
"You're not wrong." He sat down on the windowsill and looked out the window himself. There was a brief silence. "There's going to be a storm."
"You're not wrong," I replied, mimicking him slightly. He sneered and batted at me with his Cloak; it hit me and my own fell off in a pile on the floor. He looked at me in interest, and I felt the strong urge to slap him.
"Why are you up here anyway?" he asked abruptly. I shrugged and hugged my knees.
"None of your bloody business." He rolled his eyes and held up his hands in defeat.
"Fine, fine. God Granger, you're so ruddy difficult!" he exclaimed, scooting away and pulling on his Cloak. I heard his expensively soft slippers pad out of the Tower and down the steps, one by one, in no hurry whatsoever. I stared at the spot he had left from and sighed.
"You're not wrong…it's just my nature," I said into the silence, trying to fill it up. It didn't work. Suddenly, one of the windows snapped open, wind biting at my hair and my face. I threw myself against it, struggling to get it closed but it seemed to laugh at my pathetic efforts and threw me on the stone floor. "Bloody…stupid…" I muttered, getting up with difficulty and bracing myself to go back and fight once more. A jet of blue sparks flew by my head and it closed shut quickly and efficiently. I looked up, confused, and then behind me. It didn't fully surprise me when I saw him standing there, smirking broadly per usual.
"Honestly, I would've thought you knew a simple Force Spell," he mocked, tsking and waving his wand a teasing mother before strutting out again. I glared at his retreating back and then at the window, as it had personally offended me.
"I hate you you know," I said to it calmly. "In fact, I hate a lot of things. You and Malfoy top my list at the moment." And without another comment or thought, I threw the Cloak over my head and started to walk down the spiraling steps.
I had to get the Cloak back you see. Harry and Ron would miss it in the morning.