The night was dark and the wind howled through the Forbidden Forest. Harry and the others had walked the entire way without hearing anything except the wind.
As soon as that voice rang out, not only were Harry and Ron startled, but even Fang whimpered and spun around anxiously.
But when Harry saw who was approaching in the light, he immediately shouted in surprise,
"Professor Cavendish!"
Sherlock looked at Harry and Ron with a grim expression.
"How did you two sneak out of the castle? And why have you come to the Forbidden Forest?"
Only then did Harry suddenly realise that, given the current situation, running into Sherlock here was definitely not a good thing. His excitement instantly vanished.
"We... we came to..."
Just as he was debating whether to tell Sherlock the truth, the sound of branches snapping suddenly echoed from all directions around them. It was clearly the noise of something massive forcing its way through the undergrowth towards them.
Fang barked frantically nearby. Harry and Ron exchanged nervous glances before Sherlock grabbed them both and pulled them behind him.
"Stay behind me. I'll deal with the two of you once we're back at the castle!"
Sherlock's Lumos was far brighter than the one Harry had been using. Soon, they finally saw the enormous creatures surrounding them.
There were three giant spiders!
Each one was larger than a human. After spotting the three humans and the dog, their movements slowed, but they only grew more cautious, clearly ready to attack at any moment.
"...Humans."
The pincers of one of the spiders clicked rapidly, and it actually spoke in human language.
Sherlock remained completely calm. Narrowing his eyes, he said,
"Take me to see Aragog."
The moment they heard that name, the movements of the three giant spiders stopped instantly.
Then the spiders seemed to exchange glances, and the one that had spoken earlier said haltingly once more,
"Follow... us..."
The spiders continued surrounding the three of them, escorting them deeper into the Forbidden Forest.
Ron and Harry walked beside Sherlock. Swallowing nervously, Ron asked hesitantly,
"P-Professor, where are these spiders taking us?"
"To meet their ancestor, Hagrid's friend," Sherlock replied flatly. "You were brave enough to sneak into the Forbidden Forest. Why are you frightened now?"
Harry and Ron lowered their heads guiltily, not daring to meet his eyes.
Sherlock had no intention of lecturing them in the middle of the forest, so he added reassuringly,
"As long as you stay behind me, there won't be any danger tonight."
However, his attempt at reassurance completely backfired. The moment those words left his mouth, Harry and Ron's hearts tightened.
The two of them even froze on the spot. It wasn't until the pincers of the giant spider behind them jabbed against their backs that they snapped out of it and continued following Sherlock with miserable expressions.
"Harry, I don't want to die yet..." Ron whispered beside Harry with a trembling voice that sounded close to tears.
Harry's face was pale, and his entire body trembled uncontrollably, but he still forced himself to stay calm and comfort Ron.
"It's... it's fine. We've tested it before. It's only a chance, not guaranteed. Look on the bright side—you should be grateful the Professor didn't say we'd definitely make it out alive this time."
Sherlock did not hear their whispering because, by then, the spiders had already led them into a vast hollow.
The clearing, covered in dense foliage, was crawling with giant spiders. Thick white webs covered every corner. At the sight of it, the already terrified Harry and Ron felt every hair on their bodies stand upright.
The spiders continued leading them towards the centre of the hollow.
The countless spiders surrounding them clicked their pincers excitedly upon seeing the humans, creating a continuous chorus of sharp clicking sounds.
Then, from within the misty white haze, an Acromantula far larger than any of the surrounding spiders slowly crawled forward.
Its body and legs were blackish-grey, and every eye on its ugly, pincer-covered head was clouded with a milky white film; it was blind.
"What have you brought?"
Compared to the other spiders, Aragog's speech was noticeably more fluent.
"...Humans... someone other than Hagrid... wishes to see you..."
The spider spoke haltingly, and Sherlock introduced himself.
"My name is Sherlock Cavendish, a friend of Hagrid's. Professor Dumbledore asked me to pass on his regards."
"Dumbledore..." Aragog repeated the name as though recalling an old memory.
"I remember him. It was because of his help back then that Hagrid was able to bring me into this Forbidden Forest."
"Hagrid is in trouble now," Sherlock said loudly. "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened again at Hogwarts this year. Four students have already been attacked. The Ministry of Magic couldn't catch the real culprit, so they've taken Hagrid away instead."
Standing behind Sherlock, Harry and Ron momentarily forgot their fear. They exchanged glances and listened carefully to the conversation between Sherlock and the spider called Aragog.
"It was the same fifty years ago!" Aragog's voice suddenly became shrill. "Fifty years ago, they claimed Hagrid and I were responsible! But we never killed anyone; those attacks had nothing to do with us!"
"But to protect you, Hagrid never told the truth. That's why his wand was snapped and he was expelled from Hogwarts, unable to use magic for the rest of his life."
Sherlock stared directly into Aragog's eight cataract-clouded eyes.
"And now the Ministry has taken him away again. If we fail to find the real culprit, they may convict Hagrid permanently. This time is different from before. Hagrid is an adult now. If he's found guilty, he'll spend the rest of his life suffering in Azkaban!"
Aragog fell silent. After a long while, it finally spoke again.
"What do you want me to do?"
Sherlock stated the purpose of his visit directly.
"You know what creature has been attacking students in the castle, don't you?"
Aragog's pincers twitched violently, and it spoke with obvious agitation.
"That is the sworn enemy of spiders! Even when Hagrid asked me many times, I never dared tell him the name of that terrible creature."
"For your sake, he was expelled, yet you're so afraid that you won't even tell him a name." Sherlock's tone was filled with contempt.
"I don't need to know the creature's name. I only want to know whether you know where that monster is hiding inside the castle."