"It's no wonder no one can stand her, she's a nightmare honestly!"
There was a strangled sob as the girl in question, Granger, suddenly rushed past them pushing Potter out the way. Draco was surprised to see the girl in tears.
"I think she heard you." Potter felt the need to point out. Rather unnecessary in Draco's opinion, but who knows? Perhaps Weasley needed a little help in discerning the obvious. He seemed a little dim.
"So?" came the reply, laced with guilt. "She must have realised she's got no friends!" A little harsh he supposed but accurate all the same.
Draco sighed dramatically, he guessed his duties as 'study partner' included comforting her and he resolved to do so in their next class. A simple 'you okay Granger?' would do. But Granger didn't turn up for the next class, and despite his half-hearted attempts at finding her, wasn't seen all afternoon. In fact if he wasn't on the lookout he wouldn't have heard one of the girls, Petal or something, mention that Hermione was crying in the girl's toilets and wanted to be left alone, on his way to the Great Hall after searching the entire library. Again. He hesitated.
On the one hand she had said Hermione wanted to be alone, surely it would be best for her (and for him) if he didn't go, he could always mention it if she brought it up, but he had promised himself he would comfort her, but she didn't need to know did she? And he could always say that he had tried to find her (while true, he didn't exactly try as hard as could) or he could say he didn't notice (here he almost winced) or perhaps not even mentioned it at all... What the hell, he'd clearly already made up his mind about what he was going to do, he just didn't want to do it alone. He had the perfect 'companions' in mind.
Draco marched up behind Potter and Weasley as they gawked at the bats swooping and swirling overhead and grabbed them by the back of their robes and started dragging them out the Great Hall.
"You are going to apologise to Granger right now Weasley, Potter. She's crying because of you. Just be thankful I'm not dragging you by your ears!"
"Hey! I didn't say anything to her!"
"But you thought it, didn't you?"
Potter fell silent at that and Draco released his hold, confident that they weren't going to run back into the Great Hall, and just in time too as Professor Quirrell rushed around the corner ahead of them running towards the direction they had just come from, he eyed them suspiciously, but thankfully didn't say anything.
"Why do you care anyway Malfoy?" muttered Weasley.
Draco raised an eyebrow, "Because we study together. That's all."
As they hurried towards the girls toilets they saw Snape duck behind a tapestry and into a secret passageway.
"He's heading towards the third floor corridor-" started Potter, but Weasley interrupted him with a raised hand.
"Can you smell something?"
Draco and Potter sniffed and a foul stench filled their nostrils, a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean (not that Draco had smelt much of either).
And then they heard it - a low grunting and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet. Draco fervently hoped it was the half-breed groundskeeper Hagrid. Weasley pointed: at the end of a passage to the left, something huge was moving towards them. It was a lot bigger than Hagrid. The three of them shrank back into the shadows and watched as it emerged into a patch of moonlight.
It was a horrible sight. The thing was over twelve feet tall, it's skin was a dull, granite grey that seemed to glisten with a sickly sheen in the pale moonlight, it's great lumpy body like a large boulder with it's ugly, bald head perched on top, about the size of a bludger. Large round ears the size of saucers stuck out the sides of it's misshapen face. It had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. It was wearing what appeared to be some kind of leather trousers with a dirty jacket of the same leathery material. Draco didn't want to know what it was made out of. The smell grew even worse with every step it took towards them. It was dragging a large wooden club that was almost the size of Draco himself, which dragged on the floor because it's arms where so long.
The creature stopped suddenly and Draco was afraid it had seen them, but instead of rushing at them like he expected, it turned and peered into a doorway. It waggled it's ears, making up it's tiny mind, then slouched slowly into the room.
Draco released a breath he didn't know he was holding and found himself gripping Potters arm tightly. He released it with a whispered "Sorry"
"What is it?" he whispered back.
"I think it's a troll," Weasley answered, "I read a bit about them when Fred and George…"
"The keys in the lock" Potter muttered. "We could lock it in."
"Good idea."
They edged towards the open door, mouths dry, praying the troll wasn't going to come out of it. Suddenly Potter leaped forwards, grabbed the key, slam the door and lock it. The two boys were thrilled at their accomplishment so they turned to run back down the passageway but they stopped short at Dracos horrified face. He wordlessly pointed at the sign above the door they'd just locked.
"Oh, no," said Weasley, pale as one of the ghosts.
"Oh dear," agreed Draco.
"We just locked it in with her!" Potter gasped.
They turned and hurriedly tried to unlock the door, fumbling in their panic, but they heard something that made their hearts stop - a high, petrified scream that pierced through the panic and fear that had frozen Draco in place. He moved forwards and pushed the two aside and pointed his wand at the door yelling out.
"ALOHOMORA!"
The door swung open and they ran inside.
Quirrell was acting awfully suspicious wasn't he? Not telling them about the troll, if I didn't know any better I'd think he was hoping it would kill them...