Harry and Ron both held their breath.
They had already guessed that Hagrid's true purpose in sending them to follow the spiders was to find this giant spider—Aragog.
It could prove that Hagrid had been framed fifty years ago, leading to his expulsion from Hogwarts.
And they also understood why Sherlock had come to the Forbidden Forest in the middle of the night to find Aragog.
However, Aragog did not give him a clear answer.
"No. Although I have my suspicions, I cannot say it. That ancient creature... I cannot afford to provoke it."
As it spoke, the surrounding spiders slowly began closing in on Sherlock and the others.
Sherlock watched coldly as Aragog crawled backwards, preparing to retreat into its cave.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Under my restraint, my descendants will not harm Hagrid. But I cannot stop them from enjoying the food that has delivered itself to them. I have lived long enough and do not have many days remaining. I no longer have the energy to concern myself with Hagrid's affairs. Now, I am merely a blind old spider waiting for death."
As the giant spiders steadily converged upon them, Harry and Ron nervously grabbed onto Sherlock's robes.
The two exchanged pale-faced glances, both seeing the exact same thought in each other's eyes.
Professor Cavendish's jinx had come true again!
"Beasts are merely beasts," Sherlock said in a cold, calm voice. "No matter how kindly humans treat them, they still only follow their instincts. It's utterly disgusting."
Aragog did not respond to his words, because by then, the giant spiders had already swarmed towards them, looking ready to bury them beneath their numbers.
Harry and Ron let out terrified screams, and at that moment, Sherlock finally raised his wand.
"Incendio."
Bright yellow flames erupted around him. The scorching heat forced the approaching spiders backwards, protecting Harry, Ron, Fang, and Sherlock himself within the ring of fire.
"What do we do now, Professor?" Harry asked urgently.
Sherlock controlled the flames, continuing to spread them outward until the fire formed a five-metre radius around him.
The giant spiders retreated one after another. They not only feared high temperatures but also intense light, which made them reluctant to approach.
"Follow me. Grab onto my arm and don't let go," Sherlock instructed quickly before leading them towards the edge of the spider swarm under the protection of the flames.
Although Acromantulas were classified as XXXXX-level dangerous Magical Creatures, their weakness was extremely obvious.
They feared fire.
Sherlock had been at Hogwarts for more than half a year. While he had not mastered many advanced spells, he was exceptionally skilled with practical foundational magic such as the Fire-Making Charm.
Even the flames he conjured were noticeably more powerful than those of an ordinary Wizard.
During his free time, he had occasionally exchanged magical knowledge with Professor Flitwick, who was a master-level expert in Charms.
Even this Charms master, who had taught at Hogwarts for decades, was full of praise for the power behind Sherlock's spells.
Professor Flitwick believed Sherlock had never neglected his magical studies and research during the years he spent at home, completely unaware that Sherlock had actually only begun seriously practising magic a little over half a year ago.
Because of this, Sherlock had become deeply suspicious of the contents of the book Soul Stitching, written by the original owner's mother, which he had discovered in the library.
Logically, if a soul were torn apart, magical power should weaken. So why had his own magic become stronger instead?
Protected by the flames, Sherlock led Harry and Ron out of the spiders' nest.
But the spiders, who had always been restrained by Aragog and had never tasted human flesh before, clearly had no intention of letting them leave.
They continued following Sherlock and the others from a distance like a pack of wolves stalking prey, waiting for the flames to disappear before attacking.
"They really think I'm easy prey," Sherlock sneered.
The flames continued circling them. At the same time, Sherlock waved his wand towards a pile of dry branches on the ground, causing the sticks to connect together and transform into a long iron chain.
The chains lay hidden among the leaves, almost impossible to notice. Sherlock and the others continued retreating while the chains lengthened further under his Transfiguration spell, until finally one spider's long leg brushed against the hidden chain!
"Whoosh!"
The chains transformed from branches instantly tightened like writhing snakes, entangling the bodies of five giant spiders within seconds and binding them tightly like trussed crabs!
Sherlock waved his wand again towards the trees above the spiders.
In the next instant, the leaves overhead transformed into sharp blades and rained down from above!
"Pfft!"
The blades pierced straight through the Acromantulas' massive abdomens, spraying green blood everywhere!
The five trapped spiders struggled desperately, trying to escape the deadly rain of blades, but they could not break free from the chains restraining them.
In the end, their bodies were riddled with holes before collapsing motionless onto the ground.
For the enormous swarm, the deaths of five spiders were insignificant, but the display created a powerful deterrent.
After all, within the Forbidden Forest, they had lived without natural enemies since birth and had rarely lost any of their own kind. Even the Centaurs had tolerated their encroachment upon the forest.
Sherlock's counterattack filled them with fear. Although they did not stop pursuing him entirely, their pace noticeably slowed.
After leaving the centre of the swarm's territory, the surrounding trees became denser once more. Having already intimidated the spiders by killing five of them, Sherlock immediately caused the flames to erupt outward again, spreading throughout a ten-metre radius!
Tongues of fire curled skyward as waves of heat surged through the forest.
The trees ignited, forming a blazing barrier between them and the spider swarm.
This time, it completely halted the spiders' pursuit. Sherlock led Harry, Ron, and Fang away from the creatures entirely.
Looking at the roaring fire behind them, Harry asked worriedly,
"Professor, won't this burn down the entire Forbidden Forest?"
Sherlock grabbed Harry by the back of his collar, shoved him forwards, and urged him to keep moving.
"You give me far too much credit. The Forbidden Forest is enormous. Even Dumbledore wouldn't dare claim he could burn the whole thing down. Besides, Centaurs live here. They'll organise efforts to contain the fire."
As he spoke, Sherlock glanced back at the spiders trapped beyond the wall of flames and said coldly,
"But this certainly isn't over. I've heard the venom of these beasts sells for a fortune in Knockturn Alley. Sooner or later, I'll come back and make a fortune from them!"