"Who are you? Why are you following me?" Malfoy asked threateningly.
Amari decided on telling the truth; he couldn't harm a little girl! "I'm Amari," she decided on saying, nervously playing with her locket.
"Why are you following me?" he repeated, eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Well, I was with Hermione because Ron is playing Quidditch, but she started talking to a freaky man with black hair. It was really boring, so when I saw you I wanted to meet you." She said truthfully.
Malfoy could tell that was the truth – five-year-olds would do that. He lowered his wand, smiling. "You know Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger?"
"Yep! And Harry and Ginny and Avila and Michael... Why?" Amari asked.
Malfoy was having a party inside his head. This girl could be a spy for him! "Ron and Hermione and Harry are really mean to me. I just wanted to get them back once, at least, for all the times they got me."
To his surprise, Amari had an evil smile on her face. "I can get them back for you! I was just thinking of something… Do you know what Duct Tape is?"
"Is it that gray-silver sticky stuff muggles use? The kind that's really hard to rip?" he knew what it was, but he had to make sure! After all, his muggle knowledge was mediocre.
"Yep! But I like Hermione. But I don't like Ron. And Harry, well, I don't know yet. I'll get Ron for sure and maybe Harry, okay?" she said, counting off the trio on the fingers.
"Okay, that's okay. Here's," he produced a roll of Duct Tape out of thin air, "some Duct Tape. Get 'em good!" he winked.
"Amari? AMARI? Oh, where is she? AMARI?" Hermione called. Malfoy ran around another corner and Amari crouched down, pretending to cry. She could win an Oscar!
"Amari! Oh, thank goodness you're alright!" Hermione exclaimed when she found Amari 'crying'.
She didn't say anything. She let herself be picked up and carried away, back toward the Griffindor common room full of chatting Quidditch players and spectators. The two girls headed toward Ron and Harry, who were talking about Quidditch in their armchairs.
"What's wrong, Hermione?" Harry asked when he noticed her worried expression.
"It's my fault. I'm sorry, Hermione, I was just bored! I didn't want to get lost!" Amari exclaimed.
"You ran away from her? I think she needs to learn a lesson." Ron said, grounding in mind.
"Ron, no. She was lost and crying when I found her – I don't think she'll want to do it again, right Amari?" she asked motherly. Amari shook her head.
"Do you want to go see the squid? He lives in the lake – he's really nice!" Harry suggested. Amari smiled and nodded.
"Does he do tricks?" Amari asked when they were nearing the lake.
"If he likes you," Harry made up. He really wasn't sure if he would or not, but at least its an excuse to keep her well-behaved. He gave her some bread to give the squid.
"I thought squids eat fishies?" Amari said, observing the bread. She started throwing it in without waiting for an answer and a tentacle rose up, then another, and another… The wiggly limbs entertained her while the trio talked under their tree.
"I don't think she likes me…" Ron said.
"Well you can't call her stupid!" Hermione replied.
"I didn't! She was so lying!"
"She was crying! People can't just cry!"
"You can't believe I would actually call a five-year-old girl stupid!"
"You seemed in a bad enough mood to!"
Harry rolled his eyes and let them bicker. He walked over to Amari. "Having fun?"
She was laughing as the tentacles tickled her, "I like the Giant Squid! Does he have a name?"
"Hagrid might have named him, but you can give him your own name, How's that?" Harry suggested.
"His name is … Bob!" she said, still being tickled – Harry never saw the squid tickle someone before; maybe 'Bob' could tell she was five. Harry chuckled.
"Can I fly on your broom?" she asked suddenly.
"My broom might be kind of fast for you… maybe you should go on Ron's first." He said.
"Can I go on Hermione's too?"
"She doesn't have a broom. Only some people do. Come on, we'll go now." Harry took her hand and they went over to where Ron and Hermione were sitting. They weren't bickering, but they weren't talking to each other either.
"Ron, can you take Amari around on your broom?" Harry asked.
Amari was smiling angelically on the outside, but on the inside she was laughing evilly – she knew how to fly and she could cause serious damage to Ron on a broom.
"Sure, but why can't you take her on the firebolt?" he asked.
"I think it would be too fast for her…" Harry replied. "Accio brooms!"
Harry and Ron's brooms soared out of the castle into Harry's hands.
Ron mounted his. "Get on in front of me so I can make sure you don't fall. Try not to lean too much." He ordered her. Hermione walked forward.
"Are you sure that's safe?" she asked, biting her lip.
"Nothing can happen – I won't go that fast! Don't worry Hermione!"
Amari climbed onto the broom and held on tight, waiting for Ron to go high. They kicked off.
"Higher!" Amari yelled. Ron went higher. "Higher!!" Amari yelled again. She kept saying higher until they were higher than the Quidditch goalposts. 'This is high enough' she thought.
She suddenly jerked the handle down: the bottom went up and hit Ron hard… somewhere. She leaned to the right and they started spinning. Ron started feeling nauseous and fell off only when she flipped the broom upside-down. She pretended she lost control of the broom.
Harry and Hermione were arguing on whether it was safe and only looked up when they heard Amari screaming. "Harry! Ron's falling and Amari's lost control!" Hermione squeaked.
"I know!" he said angrily, kicking off and heading as fast as he could toward Ron. He grabbed Ron's forearm and he stopped suddenly about ten feet off the ground but slipped out in Harry's haste. Ron was going slower thanks to Harry's grab, but he still hit the ground with a sickening crunch. Harry headed off straight away toward Amari.
"Pull back gently to make it stop!" Harry yelled. She was screaming too loudly to hear. Hermione was firing a spell to make things slow down, but she accidentally hit Harry. He was now going very slowly toward Amari, who was going full speed.
"Hermione! Help me get up… need… hospital… wing…" Ron said. He had landed on his arm in an odd way and had the wind completely knocked out of him. If Harry hadn't slowed him down, much worse would have happened.
"But what about them?" She said frantically, waving toward the two riders in the air. It was either she help Ron to the hospital wing now and risk Amari and Harry having injuries, or let Ron wait in agony while she saves Amari and Harry. She did the only thing that was in the middle: she sent up red sparks and hoped someone would see them. Luckily, they were right by North Tower and Hagrid's Hut. Professor Trelawney and Hagrid both saw them. Professor Trelawney messaged Dumbledore through her fire and Hagrid came running.
"Hermione? Ron? 'Arry? What's goin' on?" Hagrid asked.
"Hagrid, it's awful! Ron fell off his broom and got hurt, Amari's still on it, but she's out of control and I slowed Harry down by accident and I'm worried they'll collide now!" Hermione started to cry.
"I'll bring Ron to the 'ospital wing…" Hagrid said, spotting Ron on the ground. He picked the groaning boy up and headed off toward the castle, passing Madam Hooch on his way that was rushing out, broom in hand.
"What's going on Miss Granger?" Madam Hooch demanded. Hermione was in hysterics. She pointed in the air where Amari was simply holding onto the broom, leaning on the handle to seem like she was out of control. It was convincing!
"What happened to Mr. Potter?" Madam Hooch interrogated.
"I-I-I t-tried t-to s-slow her do-down!" Hermione responded through sobs.
The Quidditch referee nodded and mounted her broom. She sped off toward Harry first, wand withdrawn. She muttered the counter-charm and Harry joined her in getting Amari back down. They didn't realize, but she purposely evaded them.
"I can't stop!" Amari screamed.
"Pull back!" Harry yelled, trying to catch her. Finally, Madam Hooch knocked her off painlessly and Harry caught her.
"Ron's not a good flyer – he fell off and left me alone!" Amari complained.
"He's a good flyer when he flies alone… let's go check on him." Harry said as an answer.