Rory stuffs books into her bag before latching her bow tie around her neck. She doesn't have time to ensure her uniform is in a respectable state. She stayed up late last night to study for her exam today.
Her first class starts soon and she has already missed the bus. Her mom, Lorelai, ever the problem solver, orders Rory to take her Jeep instead of waiting for the next bus.
She capitalizes on the 30 minute drive to Chilton by running the study guide questions through her mind during the drive.
She doesn't even see it, only feels the impact. Something rammed into her passenger's side door. Looking behind her in the rearview mirror, she thinks she sees the rustle of trees on the roadside.
It takes the looming exam to bring her attention back to the road ahead. Rory makes it to Chilton just as her exam begins, but her professor shows no sympathy for her eventful morning. He sends her to the principal's office for disrupting the exam.
While Rory waits for her mother she thinks about the collision. If you asked her what hit her she would say a dear, but privately she feels like horse is more accurate. And if she was being generous with the truth she would admit that the horse had wings.
She was clearly suffering from an anxiety and fatigue induced hallucination. Rory pays little attention to the arrival of her mother or the ensuing meeting with the headmaster.
When the headmaster releases her back to class Hermione walks through the halls, past her next class, and straight to the Jeep. She tells herself she is just driving home but she finds herself pulling over to the side of the road. She finds herself walking into the trees where she remembered seeing the horse (deer) last.
She considers turning back right as she spots it. Lying on the forest floor, she sees an expansive set of wings covering the animal. She circles the creature and stops near its head.
Draco hears footsteps in the brush and opens his eyes to see a young woman towering over him. The alarm of seeing a muggle before him triggers his transformation. He locks his eyes on her face as her expression shifts.
Her eyes widen and her mouth drops open in disbelief as she watches his form change from animagus to human.