"Hagrid's friend? What happened fifty years ago..." the massive spider clicked its fangs together, making a dry, chittering noise.
It didn't seem hostile and actually spoke quite a bit, which made Harley, Hermione, and the others let out a collective sigh of relief.
The spider introduced itself as Aragog. It explained that Hagrid had been given its egg by a traveling wizard. Hagrid hatched it in the castle, raised it secretly, feeding it breadcrumbs and scraps.
But then something terrible happened—a girl was killed in a bathroom.
Accusations flew, and soon, people came to arrest Hagrid and Aragog.
Before they could be captured, Hagrid released Aragog into the Forbidden Forest, where it eventually settled.
Aragog said it didn't know what happened after that.
Hermione leaned forward. "Do you know what the monster in the Chamber of Secrets is?"
Aragog twitched its legs nervously. "I cannot speak of it. It is the enemy of spiders. I cannot bear to face it."
Clearly, it had no intention of naming the creature.
Still, Aragog added that Hagrid had taken care of him for years, even found him a mate.
Together, they had raised many offspring...
Ron froze at the word. "Many?" he echoed.
He looked up—and under the moonlight, several spiders the size of ponies were descending silently from the trees on thick strands of silk.
Ron squealed in a high-pitched shriek, not unlike a frightened dolphin.
The rest of them suddenly realized they were surrounded. Dozens, maybe hundreds of eight-eyed spiders skittered in from all sides.
Hermione raised her voice in panic. "We're Hagrid's friends! You can't do this!"
Aragog clicked its fangs again, and the smaller spiders hesitated. But some of the larger ones crept forward, their sharp mandibles clacking hungrily.
This was their way of communicating. They had been tricked!
"We will not harm Hagrid," Aragog said. "But I cannot promise the same for others."
He twisted his body, glancing around his kin. "I cannot stop my children from enjoying the fresh meat that has wandered into their web. I do hope you understand."
"Yeah, I understand Merlin's flowery underpants!" Jerry spat, pulling out several small round objects from his pocket—each about the size of a large berry.
They were inventions from the Weasley twins, part of their failed attempt at transforming candies, but ended up with a happy accident: cracking firecrackers!
With a series of sharp "pop-crack" sounds, the firecrackers exploded as they hit the forest floor, sending sparks flying in all directions.
The flash and noise made the spiders screech and scuttle backwards, opening up a gap in their perimeter.
"Stick to the plan! Fall back!" Ted shouted, stepping in front of the group. "Frost Nova!"
He stomped the ground and a wave of icy air exploded outward in a wide arc. Grass and branches froze instantly, encased in a sheet of frost.
Several spiders nearest to them were caught in the blast—their legs froze solid, locking them in place.
Ted raised his wand and sent a second burst of energy into the frozen ground, shattering the ice into deadly shards that rained down like glass.
"Retreat, retreat!"
When it came to retreating, Ron was surprisingly fast.
He ran with everything he had, yelling and using "Flipendo" that sent one spider tumbling.
Ted did a double-take. 'Ron's wand is nine inches long with a snapped core and a hairline crack. How is it still working?!'
Ron, forgetting the fragile state of his wand, was suddenly filled with confidence. 'Wait a second, I'm a wizard. I can fight back!'
But the spiders were everywhere. They weren't just coming from ahead—they were above, behind, and even swinging down from trees on thick ropes of silk.
The group had barely run another ten meters before even more spiders blocked their path.
"Raise you wands!—Protection from Evil!" Ted called, and everyone raised their wands.
A radiant shield flared to life from Ted's wand, forming a dome of shimmering magic with a twenty-meter radius, each segment connecting to the others' wands.
The moment the spiders stepped into the field, they shrieked and recoiled as if burned. The spell didn't just ward them off—it caused real pain.
But they kept coming. Dozens more filled the space around the shield's edge, hissing and clacking, layer upon layer.
Ted looked to Neville and gave a quick nod.
Neville sprinted forward, only a few meters from the nearest spider, and pulled out the magic fang dagger.
"Lumos Maxima!"
The entire forest lit up with blinding white light.
The acromantulas feared the basilisk more than anything—because just a glance could kill them. With eight eyes they couldn't close, facing the basilisk meant certain death.
The blinding burst of magic light exploded with a violent flash, stunning nearly every Acromantula in the area.
About 99% of the acromantulas staggered, temporarily blinded, their panicked chittering echoing through the dark forest.
Disoriented and confused, the massive spiders crashed into each other, scrambling blindly, some even turning on one another in their confusion.
Just then, the sound of a car horn pierced the chaos. Two bright headlights cut through the darkness as a battered old Ford Anglia burst from the treeline.
Ron's jaw dropped. "That's my family's car!"
Ted grinned. "Perfect timing! Everybody, into the car! Now!"
The five friends dove into the vehicle. As the car doors slammed shut, Ted called out, "Drive ahead and wait for me. I've got one last thing to do!"
He shut the door firmly and turned to face the horde of spiders, still disoriented.
With his wand raised high like a conductor in an orchestra, Ted summoned his magic.
"Wall of Fire!"
Flames roared to life, encircling Ted in a blazing wall two meters high. Several larger Acromantulas had begun recovering, but they stopped short, hesitant to breach the ring of fire.
"Eat! Eat him!"
"Bite first... venom... inject it..."
"Start from the feet..."
The massive spiders spoke in broken, garbled speech, far less articulate than Aragog.
These were Aragog's offspring, dangerous but less intelligent, likely at level seven or eight in magical strength.
Ted noticed that Aragog himself hadn't moved from the mouth of his lair. In fact, the ancient spider was now slowly retreating into the shadows, watching with an unreadable expression.
Was Aragog simply observing? Or was he allowing Ted to eliminate his troublesome descendants?
Ted remembered the lone spider he encountered outside the colony. Maybe it had been banished after losing a leadership struggle.
But there was no time to dwell on it. Ted had been preparing for this moment.
More and more Acromantulas pushed toward the firewall, their bodies piling up in a growing frenzy.
Ted pointed his wand at the ground beneath them. "Flame Storm!"
The earth beneath the spiders glowed red like molten steel before erupting with fire, magma-like jets blasting upward.
A blazing column of fire, three meters across and five meters tall, roared to life. The searing heat spread across the clearing, scorching everything in sight. The entire section of forest lit up like day.
"BOOM!"
The fire storm raged for three full seconds before dying down, leaving behind nothing but scorched ground and the blackened remains of what had once been spiders.
The surviving Acromantulas had long since fled into the dark.
In Ted's mind, a stream of system messages began popping up:
---------------------------
Ding Defeated Acromantula. Gained 730 experience points... Ding Defeated Acromantula. Gained 690 experience points... Ding Defeated Acromantula. Gained 720... Ding Defeated...
---------------------------
The notifications kept coming.
In total: 12,960 experience points earned.
A grin spread across Ted's face. Spells and flames could be more rewarding than treasure.
He felt exhilarated.
Still, he knew this sort of opportunity wouldn't come often. There was no way he could just go around wiping out magical creatures.
And now, the Forbidden Forest's Acromantula population probably wouldn't recover for years.
Unfortunately, most of the valuable spider parts and venom had been burned away in the fire.
He managed to collect a few white and green cards from the ashes, then turned and sprinted back toward the car.
As for the trees still burning... well, Acromantulas were clever. Let them deal with it.
...
Ted rejoined the others, and his friends finally exhaled. The firestorm had been terrifying.
Ron was gripping the wheel of the flying car again for the first time in over half a year.
He was so overwhelmed with adrenaline that he stomped the accelerator and yanked the gearshift so hard it left an afterimage.
The old Ford Anglia was nearly falling apart. Its magic was fading, and it couldn't fly anymore—but it could still jump and glide short distances.
The terrain of the Forbidden Forest was rough and hilly, like an endless tangle of roots and rises.
Jerry had his face squished against the windshield, barely able to speak. "Ron, I get it! You're scared of spiders! But if we don't die from them, we might die from your driving!"
Ron didn't respond.
He just sped through the woods like a madman until they finally burst out of the forest and skidded to a stop.
Everyone in the car was gasping for breath. The old Ford was groaning like it might collapse.
"Woooooo~"
Suddenly, Ron slumped over the wheel and began to sob.
Everyone froze.
Jerry looked around awkwardly. "Uh, Ron, mate... your car's still working. It's not that bad."
Harley chimed in gently. "Look on the bright side. You found your family's car again. That's something to be happy about."
Neville added, "Yeah... congratulations!"
But Ron just cried harder.
"Wait, did something bite you? Are you hurt?" Jerry asked, starting to panic. "We got away from the spiders, you don't have to be scared anymore."
Ron hiccupped through his sobs. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I should have said something earlier... it's all my fault!"
The others exchanged confused glances, trying to piece together what Ron meant.