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Fudge's group took Dumbledore away, and also took Hagrid from near the Forbidden Forest.
Before leaving, Lucius stared at Dudley for quite a while. His lips moved for a long time, but he could not get even a single threat out.
After seeing Slytherin's support for Dudley, as well as Dudley's method of bypassing him and directly obtaining the joint signatures of the other eleven governors, Lucius felt as if he were facing that person again.
Apart from Dudley's exaggerated build.
He seemed to understand Draco a little now. But only a little.
Dumbledore's departure caused a small commotion, but Professor McGonagall quickly brought it under control. As Deputy Headmistress, she now temporarily held the headmaster's authority.
"Do not concern yourselves with what just happened. Dumbledore will return very soon."
"I imagine everyone must be hungry, so please continue eating."
The Slytherins were the quickest to recover. Or rather, Dumbledore's departure affected them the least. They elegantly resumed eating at the long table.
It was only the headmaster being taken away. The disciplinary group was still here, and Mr. Dursley was still here. Then there was no problem.
Rarely, Lockhart, usually the most active person around, behaved today as if someone had cast a Tongue-Tying Charm on him. He had no intention of jumping out to show off at all. He only lowered his head and ate.
Dudley merely glanced at him and said nothing.
He picked up his teacup and drank the tea in one gulp, then leaned back slightly in his chair, thinking about the next steps.
Audrina's disappearance had not been far outside his expectations.
If she were still here, that would be abnormal.
However, Dudley believed she was still hidden somewhere within Hogwarts.
Because she had not taken her revenge yet.
If you were Audrina, what would you do?
Oh, rather, if you were Voldemort's Horcrux, what would you do?
Hogwarts was much safer than any other place, especially now that Dumbledore, the only person Voldemort feared, had been taken away.
He believed she would appear before long.
"Stay here and behave."
After the meal, Dudley brought Hermione to his own room in Slytherin. Perhaps this was not the safest place in Hogwarts, but it was the place where Dudley felt most at ease.
"I am not that weak."
Hermione was somewhat dissatisfied with Dudley's arrangement. She believed that rather than being protected, she should do something meaningful.
"Of course, my little princess." Dudley rubbed Hermione's fluffy waves. "Your current ability is already enough to rival upper-year students close to graduation."
"But the opponent is a basilisk, a thousand-year-old basilisk. Although it is very weak right now, it is still not easy to deal with. Even adult wizards who meet a basilisk's eyes have only one outcome: death."
The terrifying part of the basilisk's ability was its instant-death nature. Whoever it stared at died.
Dudley spent quite some time persuading her before Hermione finally agreed to stay in his room.
"Remember to keep Spearow with you. If that thing breaks in here, she can delay it for a while."
Earlier, Dudley had subdued three magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest: a Mandrake named Oddish, a Niffler, and an Augurey. Spearow was the name of that Augurey.
She was inside the red-and-white ball at Hermione's waist.
After giving Hermione those instructions, he went to Gryffindor and gave Harry and the others the same warning. Then Dudley left Hogwarts.
The Forbidden Forest, even in broad daylight, looked extremely gloomy beneath the cover of thick branches and leaves. One place deep in the forest in particular looked like the sort of place a villain would live in a fairy tale. Sinister and frightening.
As Dudley gradually went deeper, the trees above him grew denser and denser, until finally even the sky could no longer be seen.
When he listened carefully, there was no sound around him except the snapping of branches and the rustling of leaves.
This was clearly abnormal. Besides magical creatures, the Forbidden Forest also contained ordinary creatures such as hares and insects.
Yet there was nothing here.
Ahead was an endless stretch of pitch-black darkness.
Fortunately, Dudley's night vision was extremely strong. Even without a Lighting Charm, he could see the path ahead.
The path grew narrower and more remote. Tangled roots and tree stumps were everywhere, and thorny vines covered the ground. With the slightest carelessness, he would be scratched.
At some point, mist had begun spreading from somewhere, causing the surrounding temperature to plunge and making the woods even more terrifying.
"I'm here."
Dudley looked at the dense white webs hanging from the withered, ruined branches ahead and murmured to himself.
This was his destination.
Faint rustling sounds came from all around. They did not come from leaves, but from the scraping of arthropod legs.
"Hiss!"
A sharp sound rang out, as if calling to companions.
No, not "as if." It was calling for companions.
The rustling gradually grew louder and more numerous. In the pitch-black space, countless pairs of eyes seemed to be staring at Dudley, glowing with an eerie green light.
Dudley pointed upward. A faint spot of light drifted from his fingertip and gradually rose into the air. Then it suddenly erupted, illuminating the surroundings.
The leaf-covered ground beneath his feet was packed with spiders. Each one was as large as a cart horse, with eight eyes and eight legs. They were black and hairy, like enormous monsters.
Acromantula, magical creatures that grew deep in the rainforests of Southeast Asia. Classified XXXXX, they were cruel by nature and possessed venom that could easily kill. They were one of the rare social magical species, highly aggressive, and fond of eating human flesh.
Acromantula eggs were Class A Non-Tradeable Goods. They were even rarer in Europe, so their venom could fetch a very high price.
One pint cost as much as one hundred Galleons.
The Acromantulas stared hungrily at Dudley, hissing constantly from their mouthparts.
This sort of scene would make an ordinary person's hair stand on end, but Dudley showed no reaction at all, as if it were only a trivial scene.
"Aragog!"
The giant spiders seemed to be calling out. They kept waving their large pincers.
Very soon, a giant spider the size of a small elephant appeared before Dudley.
The other Acromantulas kept roaring toward this giant spider, as if relaying information.
"Human?"
The Acromantula called Aragog made a hoarse sound.
"Not Hagrid. An unfamiliar human."
This Acromantula named Aragog seemed unable to see, yet he had a sense of smell and could even speak human language. He also possessed extremely high intelligence.
"Wait. I seem to smell that familiar scent. I will never forget it for as long as I live. It is you. You are the one who captured my children!"
This was not Dudley's first time coming here. During the winter, he had been a regular visitor to this place, all for the sake of Acromantula venom.
"Outsider, you are very bold."
"You actually delivered yourself to our door."
Aragog angrily waved his large pincers, producing clicking sounds. "Delicious, sweet human flesh. Then we will not be polite about it."
"Aragog, I am here to negotiate."
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