Harry Potter and the Carnivorous Pony

"Ron, honestly, we've got to go! We can't let Hagrid down!" Hermione grabbed Ron's arm and pulled him up from the chair where her was sulking. "We've already decided—you can run the fastest, you're the bait. Now hurry up!" The three friends squished into the Invisibility Cloak and half-ran down the stairs to where they would wait near the trophy room.

"Remember the plan," Hermione whispered yet again. "Ron, you'll stand in the middle of the floor while we hide behind the suits of armor—"

"Yes, yes, we know! When the pony comes, he'll take off the cloak and—bloody hell, what's that noise?" Harry hissed. The scream echoed around the stone walls of the castle.

"Someone's being attacked!" Hermione shouted.

"Really, I thought they were screaming bloody murder at eleven at night for fun!" Harry grumbled sarcastically, but he threw off the cloak and tore to the source of the ruckus. The three hurried up to the Great Hall's huge oak doors. "It's inside!" Ron whimpered unnecessarily, turning green. Hermione pulled open the doors to see their foe, Draco Malfoy, cowering under the Ravenclaw table while a horse as black as the sky outside whinnied and smashed its hooves on the table. The horse had great batlike wings, red eyes, and a lion's tail. It opened its jaws to reveal sharklike teeth and took a bite out of the very solid tabletop.

"Oh, it's just Malfoy. Let's go," Harry said, turning to leave, but Hermione grabbed his arm.

"We promised Hagrid! Come on!" She ran forward, pointed her wand at the carnivorous pony that was now attempting to crawl under the table to its blond dinner, and shouted, "Stupefy!" A jet of red light shot towards Penelope, who let out a ferocious roaring "neigh" and turned towards the three friends.

"RUN!" Harry yelled, and he and Hermione slid under the Gryffindor table. Ron, however, clambered up onto a table, waved his arms above his head, and hollered, "Oi! Penelope! FRESH MEAT!" The carnivorous pony roared again and took off towards Ron, destroying everything in its path. Ron bolted from the Great Hall, tailed by Penelope, Harry, and Hermione. Harry heard, over his and Hermione's ragged breathing, the doors leading outside swinging open and Ron's shouts of "Hagrid, catch her!" They rounded the corner in time to see Penelope flying off into the distance and Ron screaming obscenities at Hagrid.

"What's going on?" Hermione said, alarmed at the raised voices. "Why did you let Penelope escape?"

"This git here let the carnivorous pony fly away!" Ron yelled at Hagrid. "After I risked my life helping it out of the castle, too! I could have died, you know! Is this the appreciation I get?"

"Hagrid, why didn't you catch her?" Harry asked. "Weren't you saying how much you wanted her back?"

"Yeah, I was," Hagrid said, "but that wasn't Penelope."