"Stay still. Yes, I'm talking to you!"
William pointed his wand at an Acromantula the size of a small car.
Even before they reached the Acromantulas' lair, the three of them had captured a scout.
It was purely by chance.
The three were walking when they spotted the spider rushing toward them. Judging by its eager movements, it wasn't here to welcome them but rather saw them as food.
So William caught the unlucky creature.
The spider twitched nervously, and as it opened its fangs, venom dripped down menacingly.
William's wand emitted a flash of blazing light.
The spell scorched the spider's body like molten lava, and it screeched in pain before stammering, "T-That's just saliva, not venom!"
"Stay honest and answer our questions properly!" Cho commanded with a stern expression.
"Fine, fine... Just ask your questions already…"
Cedric cleared his throat. "How many Acromantulas live in the lair?"
"Never counted... Hundreds, maybe thousands. Could even be tens of thousands."
William's wand flared again with a burst of fire.
"No! Not that many, most of them aren't even here!" the spider cried in panic.
"Where did they go?"
"They've gone deeper into the forest… I don't know what for."
"Is Aragog there?"
"You know Aragog?" The spider sounded surprised and delighted.
"We're friends of Hagrid."
"I am too... So, uh, can you let me go? We can have a nice chat…"
William pressed his wand against one of the spider's eyes, and it immediately fell silent.
"Take us to him!"
"Alright!"
William then pulled out a large multi-liter bottle from the magical compartment in his wristwatch and placed it in front of the Acromantula.
"Alright, you can spit now. Make sure to fill it up!"
"…"
Acromantula venom was highly valuable, just a pint of the good stuff could fetch hundreds of Galleons.
However, these creatures were notoriously hostile and uncooperative, even when captured.
William hadn't expected to find one so cowardly. Naturally, he wasn't going to miss the chance to milk it dry.
Of course, there was also the possibility that this spider was playing the long game, leading them into a trap.
Cedric, meanwhile, donned gloves and pulled out a small knife, becoming a makeshift barber as he trimmed some of the spider's leg hairs.
"I just had an idea, I could use these bristles as wand cores!" Cedric said enthusiastically.
After they were done gathering materials, William conjured a large chair and fastened it securely to the Acromantula's back. He tied it with ropes and even added a muzzle to prevent the spider from spitting.
The three of them sat comfortably in the chair, and William gently pulled on the reins, signaling the Acromantula to head toward its lair.
The spider dashed through the forest like a tank, its legs pounding the ground in a steady rhythm.
"This is awesome," Cedric exclaimed. "The school should replace Thestrals with Acromantulas, now that's what I call style."
William could practically see Dumbledore waiting in the Great Hall for students who never arrived because they'd all been eaten by their mounts, the mental image was too vivid.
The Acromantula ran for about ten minutes before they reached the edge of a wide basin. The trees had been cleared to make way for the Acromantulas' sprawling territory.
Just as the spider beneath them had claimed, most of its kin were gone, leaving only about a dozen others behind.
Each spider was the size of a small car, with eight gleaming eyes and eight long, hairy legs, massive and terrifying in every way.
The Acromantula descended the slope toward a fog-covered, dome-shaped web at the center of the basin.
The other spiders encircled them, clicking their pincers excitedly.
It was clear they weren't planning a warm welcome, they were hungry.
"Aragog!" the Acromantula beneath them shouted, "Aragog!"
A massive spider the size of an elephant emerged slowly from the misty dome-shaped web.
Its body and legs were dark gray and black, its enormous pincers clicking with unsettling speed. The eyes on its grotesque head were clouded over, it was blind.
"What's going on?" Aragog asked, its pincers clacking rapidly, "Is the plan in motion?"
"No, it's more wizards," the smaller Acromantula replied.
"Is it Hagrid?" Aragog shuffled forward slightly, his milky white eyes moving aimlessly as if searching.
"No, it's three young wizards."
"Then kill them all. Make it humane, don't let them suffer, and leave no traces behind for Hagrid to find," Aragog said irritably.
William's wand crackled ominously with fire once more.
"They're Hagrid's friends," the Acromantula beneath them hurriedly explained.
"Hagrid's friends? Hagrid never sends anyone to our hollow," Aragog replied slowly.
"Hagrid was captured, because of you," William said as he stood up from the chair. "The Ministry of Magic thinks you're the monster from the Chamber of Secrets."
"It wasn't me!" Aragog snapped angrily, "I wasn't born in the castle! I came from a distant land. Before I hatched, a traveler gave me to Hagrid…"
"I know it wasn't you," William interrupted, "It was the basilisk."
At the mention of the basilisk, Aragog drew a sharp breath, and the other spiders skittered back in fear.
Just looking into a basilisk's eyes meant death... and for spiders, with their eight unblinking eyes, the threat was even worse.
"And I killed the basilisk last term," William said softly.
"Oh, I see now… You're William Stark. Hagrid did mention you," Aragog's tone softened slightly.
"Little wizard, if you know the Chamber of Secrets has nothing to do with me, why have you come here?"
"Has a red-haired young wizard been here to see you?"
"Yes." Aragog's voice took on a haunted tone, as if recalling something terrifying.
"What did he want from you?"
"He ordered us to attack Hogwarts at the right time."
William's brow furrowed deeply. The diary controlled Ron to issue such an order?
"Did you agree?" Cho asked loudly.
"No…" Aragog shook his massive head, "Hogwarts has Dumbledore, and so many professors, why would I send my children to their deaths?"
"But…" Aragog hesitated before continuing, "he made another request."
"What request?" Cedric asked warily.
"He said that, at a certain time, Dumbledore would be driven away.
"All he needed was for me to drive the magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest to attack Hogwarts!" Aragog said gravely.
"You agreed to that," William said sharply. "Don't deny it, we heard you ask, 'Is the plan in motion?' just now."
"Your kin are all missing tonight because they've gone to execute the plan, haven't they?"
Cho's face reddened with anger. "Hagrid raised you, how could you dare do this?"
"You don't understand that wizard's power!" Aragog bared his fangs and hissed bitterly.
"The monster may have been killed… but he still has smaller monsters in his grasp. He threatened me, if I didn't comply, he'd slaughter all my children!
"If you were in my place, what would you choose, humans?"
"Let's go," William said with a contemptuous glance at the old spider, "Cedric, Cho, we need to notify Professor McGonagall immediately."
There were hundreds, possibly thousands of Acromantulas, and if they all swarmed out, they could easily drive countless magical creatures to charge toward Hogwarts.
"Go?" Aragog's voice rumbled ominously. "I don't think so…"
"My children have never harmed Hagrid, but fresh human meat delivered to our doorstep? I won't stop them from enjoying their feast. Farewell, friends of Hagrid…"
The spiders closed ranks, forming a towering wall of dark, hairy bodies. Their pincers clicked in unison, a chilling symphony of hunger. Dozens of bright, eager eyes gleamed atop grotesque black heads.
"I knew you'd show your true colors, old scoundrel," William sneered, "One day, you'll get what's coming to you!"
With that, a silver sword materialized in William's hands. He gripped the hilt with both hands and drove the blade straight into the spider beneath him.
Slaying a basilisk had been effortless, killing an Acromantula was even easier.
Cedric and Cho stood back-to-back, their wands flashing as they cast spell after spell, keeping the other spiders at bay.
William calmly wiped the blood off his silver sword with a scrap of parchment and tossed the bloodstained paper to the ground.
He raised his wand, and a torrent of golden flames erupted forth, showering the spiders like a fiery rain.
The spiders shrieked in agony, retreating frantically to escape the blazing inferno.
"Let's go."
In an instant, William transformed into a massive sea eagle. Cedric and Cho grabbed onto his powerful talons, holding tight.
The sea eagle spread its wings wide and soared skyward, cutting through the dark night like an arrow.