Hermione stared at the wand in her hand, excitement flickering in her eyes.
The Mysterious Magic Book had classified it as an Artifact.
Not only did it have incredible magic conductivity, but it boosted all ice-based spells by a full level.
And most importantly—it could be enchanted infinitely.
Infinite enchantments meant infinite growth. Sure, the material requirements were steep, but she wasn't worried. There'd be plenty of good loot in the future.
The only downside? The Philosopher's Stone's energy reserves—freshly topped off—were now completely drained again.
Looks like I'll have to squeeze Fury some more. I know he's got more... materials.
After disappearing for several days, Hermione finally returned to Hogwarts.
The moment she stepped into the Gryffindor common room, Harry and Ron rushed over.
"Hermione! Where have you been?!" Harry grabbed her arm. "We looked everywhere for you!"
Ron chimed in frantically. "Yeah! We were starting to think you'd been Petrified too!"
Hermione pulled her arm free. "I'm fine. Just had some... personal business to handle."
"Personal business? What could possibly be more important than the Petrification attacks happening all over school?" Harry's voice rose. "Do you even know? Someone else was attacked while you were gone!"
"I know."
"You know? And you still went running off?" Harry's tone sharpened. "We were worried about you!"
Hermione didn't answer. Instead, she asked, "Why do you two look so miserable? What happened?"
"Hagrid's been arrested! The Ministry said... they said he's the one who opened the Chamber!"
"It's true! They locked him up in Azkaban!" Ron added. "And Professor Dumbledore—he's been suspended!"
"Suspended? By who?" Hermione asked, feigning ignorance.
"Lucius Malfoy!" Harry spat the name like poison. "He got the other school governors to vote Dumbledore out. Said the attacks were happening because Dumbledore wasn't managing the school properly. It's obviously—"
"Oh, and we found this!" Harry pulled a black diary from his pocket. "Tom Riddle's diary."
"It... it talks to us!" He lowered his voice. "Tom Riddle told us that fifty years ago, he caught the person who opened the Chamber. It was Hagrid!"
Harry recounted everything that had happened over the past few days.
"And before Hagrid was arrested, he left us a clue." Ron suddenly remembered.
"What clue?"
"He said... 'Follow the spiders.'" Ron's voice wavered. "Into the Forbidden Forest."
"Hagrid must be trying to tell us something," Harry said.
"Then why haven't you gone yet?"
Ron looked embarrassed. "I, uh... wanted to wait until we found you..."
Ah. Scared of spiders.
Hermione nodded. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go."
Night fell. The edge of the Forbidden Forest.
"Let's move." Hermione took the lead.
Harry and Ron followed close behind. The three of them walked along a winding path, deeper into the woods.
Harry gripped his wand tightly, palms sweating.
Ron's face was pale. He kept glancing over his shoulder, terrified something would leap out of the darkness.
Hermione walked ahead, calm as ever, like she was taking a casual evening stroll.
The forest was silent except for the soft crunch of leaves underfoot.
Suddenly, rustling sounds came from up ahead.
Harry and Ron tensed immediately.
One by one, massive spiders crawled out from the underbrush—dozens, then hundreds. They surrounded the trio completely.
"Spiders... so many spiders..." Ron's voice trembled. He edged closer to Hermione.
Harry forced himself to stay calm. "We're friends of Hagrid!"
A spider far larger than the rest—easily two stories tall—emerged slowly from the shadows. Its presence was bone-chilling.
Aragog. The Acromantula Hagrid had raised.
"Friends of Hagrid?"
Aragog's voice was disturbingly human.
Harry stepped forward, trying to keep his voice steady. "Hagrid's been locked up in Azkaban. They say... he opened the Chamber of Secrets."
Aragog let out a low, rumbling laugh.
"Hagrid? Open the Chamber? Impossible."
"Then who did?" Harry asked urgently.
"I do not know." Aragog spoke slowly. "I only know it was not Hagrid. Back then, Hagrid hid me in a cupboard at the school. The one who opened the Chamber... was not him."
"Then who attacked Myrtle?"
Aragog's voice was cold. "It lives in the castle."
"So you're saying the attacks are coming from something in the Chamber?" Ron asked.
Aragog didn't answer.
It turned slowly, hissing at the spiders surrounding them.
"I have answered enough questions. Hagrid is my friend. You are not."
Aragog's voice turned icy.
"My children need fresh meat."
The spiders surged forward.
Harry and Ron stood back-to-back, waving their wands frantically, trying to drive the spiders away.
"This is what dark creatures are."
Hermione's voice was cold.
She watched the spiders close in, her tone laced with mockery.
"Never expect to truly understand them. They only follow their instincts."
My friend's friends aren't my friends, huh?
Perfect.
I feel the same way.
"Aragog?!"
Harry shouted, staring at the massive Acromantula. His voice shook.
Ron's face went white. His legs buckled—he nearly collapsed.
Countless smaller spiders swarmed from all directions, encircling them completely.
"Arania Exumai!"
Harry raised his wand, casting the Spider-Repelling Charm in a panic.
A faint glow flickered. The spiders retreated slightly.
But it wasn't enough.
Against this endless, overwhelming horde, the weak spell was utterly useless.
"Did you forget what I said in Defense Against the Dark Arts?"
Hermione's voice cut through the chaos, cold and sharp.
She raised the Wand of Destruction slowly.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Green light flashed.
"BOOM!"
Aragog's massive body crashed to the ground. All eight of its eyes went dark instantly.
Dead silence.
Harry and Ron stared, mouths hanging open, unable to process what they'd just seen.
Harry stammered, pointing at Aragog's corpse. He couldn't form a complete sentence.
"That was Hagrid's friend... How are we supposed to explain this to him...?"
Hermione shot him a cold glance.
"Explain?"
"It almost made you two spider food."
"When Hagrid gets back, he's the one who owes us an explanation."
Aragog's death briefly stunned the spiders. But once they recovered, it only made them more vicious.
After a short silence, the horde erupted into chaos.
"What do we do?!" Ron's voice cracked.
"What do you think?" Hermione shot back. "We fight our way out."
"But... even with Unforgivables, we can't kill them all!" Harry said.
"I know." Hermione's tone was calm.
She raised her wand, pointing it forward.
"Glacius Maxima!"
Ice-blue light exploded from the tip of the wand.
A wave of freezing cold radiated outward from Hermione, spreading in all directions.
The spiders—fangs bared, legs thrashing—were encased in ice almost instantly.
The frost spread with terrifying speed. Within seconds, the entire spider nest was frozen solid.
Countless spiders became ice sculptures, frozen mid-attack, their grotesque forms preserved forever.
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