Trouble Lurking

Harry ran frantically, his eyes searching desperately for a place to hide.

He ran down the hallway, and came to a dead end. Damn. This was what he got for not looking ahead of him. Hearing the monsters pound steadily closer, he prepared to Blast a hole through the stone, when he was yanked into the wall.

Grey eyes stared at him intensely, and a cool finger was pressed to his lips.

Harry inhaled sharply. Malfoy?

They both tensed when what sounded like a herd of obese elephants thundered down the hall, and came to a stop at the dead end.

"Harry James Potter!" Hermione cried shrilly. "You can't avoid studying for your O.W.L.s forever! Just because you're the Boy-Who-Lived doesn't mean they'll pass you. You're not that special!"

Harry rolled his eyes, and Malfoy gazed at him amusedly.

Hermione sighed, and spoke, sounding cross. "I could've sworn I saw him scurry like a cowardly rat down this hallway."

Ron suggested, "Maybe he Apparated?"

A resounding thwack was heard, and Hermione's squalling voice slowly began to diminish as they walked away. "You blithering idiot! How many times do I have to tell you that it states very clearly in Hogwarts: A History that no one can Apparate out of Hogwarts, no matter how ruddy powerful they are?"

Harry didn't relax until their squabbling died out. When it did, he breathed out heavily, and grinned at Malfoy. Who was, not surprisingly, smirking.

Harry said quietly, "Thank you."

Malfoy airily replied, "Don't think I did it for you. I merely knew her squawking would carry on a great deal longer if she found you, and I couldn't bear to hear it."

Harry snorted. "You're taking the piss."

Malfoy retorted, "Don't be ridiculous, Potter. I would never do something so plebian."

They stood there for a little while, just looking at each other. And then Malfoy went through the wall, with Harry following. Malfoy nodded, and started walking away. He called over his shoulder, "By the way, if you want better company than a pair of backstabbing mother hens, I'm usually in the library every night."

Harry waved at Malfoy's back, even though he knew Malfoy wouldn't see it.

Smiling, he began to walk back to the Common Room. This might be the first time he would go willingly to the library.

Only for the express purpose of studying, naturally. He did have his O.W.L.s coming up, after all.

oOo

A/N: The title can be taken two ways: 'Harry has trouble lurking' or 'There was trouble lurking for Harry.'