In front of Hagrid's Hut, a car shot out of the nearby bushes at breakneck speed and screeched to a halt in the clearing outside.
The momentum nearly sent Harry and the others crashing into the windshield. Fang was desperate to scramble out through the window, and the moment Harry opened the door, he darted through the bushes, tail tucked between his legs, and raced toward Hagrid's Hut.
After Harry got out, Neville followed him on weak, trembling legs. About a minute later, Ron seemed to regain feeling in his limbs and slowly climbed out, though his neck remained stiff and his eyes vacant.
Harry patted the car gratefully. It turned around and drove into the woods, gradually disappearing from sight.
Fang trembled beneath the blanket in his basket, clearly terrified. Ron, meanwhile, was vomiting miserably in the pumpkin patch.
"Those spiders," Ron said weakly, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. "I'll never forgive Hagrid. We're lucky we got out alive."
"You really went into the Forbidden Forest? Where's Jerry? Why isn't he here?"
The sudden voice startled the three already jittery boys. Only then did they notice Hermione, bundled in a thick coat, sitting on the steps outside Hagrid's Hut. None of them knew when she had arrived.
"When did you get here?" Once they saw it was Hermione, Harry and the others patted their chests and let out long sighs of relief. Their legs gave way, and all three sank onto the stony ground.
"Did you three really think you could keep this from me as long as Jerry didn't tell me? Where is he?" Hermione raised her chin slightly, her eyes full of disdain.
"Jerry, he... he's in his dormitory, of course! It was just the three of us tonight." Harry gave an awkward smile. Earlier that