Possibly when she was too close to the boy, Hermione pulled on the handle, and tried to make her broom stop. It did not obey as easily as she would have thought. For a moment, she thought Malfoy would grab her to help her, and she desperately wished he would. But what he actually did was step aside with impunity, leaving the way clear for her. Hermione inhaled in alarm, seeing herself alone, and pulled harder on the handle. Bringing the broom to a halt at last, ungracefully, with a sharp jerk. Gasping, she turned her face to glare at Malfoy, and saw that he was looking at her with total calmness. Satisfied.