Everyone realized something was amiss—there was a commotion up ahead. Their instincts screamed to steer clear of the unnatural sounds that s
Everyone realized something was amiss—there was a commotion up ahead. Their instincts screamed to steer clear of the unnatural sounds that shouldn't belong in the Forbidden Forest's night, sounds that were anything but friendly.
Yet, despite their reluctance, their bodies pressed forward along the tangled forest path—because that's where Dotty was leading them.
And so, they could only watch as the distant flicker of firelight in the darkness grew clearer, more pronounced, accompanied by the increasingly loud roars of some enraged creature.
The more timid apprentices instinctively huddled closer to their companions, some clutching others' arms for a sense of security, oblivious to how such clinging would hinder escape when danger truly struck.
"…Wait, what's that?" Ron's voice trembled as he forced the words out. "Can someone tell me that's a bird's nest?"
He tried to muster a reassuring smile, hoping to appear calm and dependable, but the strained grin only heightened everyone's nerves.
"I think… that's a spider's lair," Katie Bell said, her eyes wide with shock.
No other reason needed—because the spider's lair was suspended on a tree trunk midair, its entrance wide enough for one or two people, surrounded by thick white webs. It resembled the spiderwebs and lairs they'd seen before, but—why was it so massive?!
What kind of spider could create a lair that huge?!
"I—I'm suddenly feeling dizzy," Ron said, looking like he might collapse. "Do we really have to keep going? I mean, the owner of this place doesn't seem all that friendly."
No one responded; they were all feeling a bit dizzy themselves.
"Dotty!" Penelope hurried to catch up with the earth elemental leading the way, calling out, "Please stop—can we take another path?"
The pitch-black earth elemental halted, turning to face her. It rumbled a long string of words in a friendly tone, but Penelope's heart sank as she realized she couldn't understand a word of it.
Of course, a true elemental would speak the language of the elements!
"He's saying, 'The route was set by your mentor, and I cannot change it, but you may choose whether to continue the trial,'" Luna suddenly stepped forward and explained.
"You can understand him?" Hermione asked, surprised, then deflated. "Right, you started learning the elemental tongue over the holidays."
"Barely," Luna shook her head slightly, then turned to Ron. "Relax, Ron. Feeling dizzy is normal—and it seems the host here is already coming to greet us."
"What do you mean?" Ron's mouth fell open.
No answer was needed. The overlapping chirps of insects that had filled the air had vanished, replaced by a dense, bone-chilling rustling—like countless tiny brushes sweeping over fallen leaves, furry and chaotic.
"SCREEE—!!"
A massive, dark brown spider leapt from the darkness. One of its legs was severed, the wound fresh, oozing translucent, viscous fluid as it brandished its limbs menacingly.
"AAHH!!"
The apprentices screamed in unison at the sudden terror, Ron's voice loudest among them.
Spells, totems, elements—everything they'd learned was forgotten in that moment of panic. Their only instinct was to flee. Some even dropped their torches in their haste.
"Calm down!" Penelope shouted, but her words fell on deaf ears.
The giant spider's eight fist-sized black eyes glinted with malice. Its massive chelicerae clacked together, revealing palps on either side, blooming like a grotesque flower no one could appreciate.
Only terror remained.
From a distance, Harry, watching through his farsight spell, observed his apprentices' frantic reactions. Their near-foolish panic didn't please him. Once again, he wondered if he'd been too soft on them.
It was just a spider. Was screaming really more effective than hurling a stone orb?
A spider's head wasn't indestructible.
"They're still just foals," Thrall remarked, noticing Harry's dissatisfaction.
"Not even as capable as a gnoll pup," Harry sighed. "At least a gnoll pup would know to bite. If I'd acted like this, my father's protection wouldn't have stopped my mentor from kicking me out of the tribe."
"You had a strict mentor, but they aren't you," Thrall said calmly. "You may still look like a foal, but you have a warrior's heart."
"Too many differences," Harry shook his head. "I hope they get it together soon."
A trial explicitly stated to be safe—why were they handling it so poorly?
Harry had heard older shamans complain about their apprentices' incompetence, but this was his first time truly feeling it himself. It was like painstakingly building a sandcastle only to find it a shapeless heap.
Thankfully, Luna's composure kept him from complete disappointment.
"Spiders! Spiders!!"
Zacharias Smith's terrified shouts echoed everyone's thoughts as more spiders—far too many—crawled out from behind the giant one, scuttling across webs and underfoot.
If the massive spider instilled fear with its car-sized body and grotesquely magnified features, these smaller ones terrified for one reason: their numbers.
A tidal wave of brown, black, and gray surged toward them.
Screams died out. The apprentice who'd dropped his torch dove to retrieve it, roaring as he thrust it outward. Where the flames touched, the smaller spiders recoiled.
The rustling had been their tiny legs scuttling over leaves, but now, with so many gathered, even their faint hisses became deafening.
"Incendio!"
Penelope waved her wand, shouting, and a jet of fire burst from its tip, instantly charring the smaller spiders that lunged forward, driven by their hunger for flesh.
"Don't just stand there! Cast something!" Penelope called, relieved to see the flames' effect, not even glancing back.
After those precious seconds, the other apprentices finally remembered what they were supposed to do.
Every lesson they'd ever learned flooded back, leaving them momentarily overwhelmed by choices.
"Impedimenta!"
"Incendio!"
"Confringo!"
"Tarantallegra!"
Every spell imaginable was cast. Older apprentices unleashed whatever came to mind first, but for the first-years, who'd only just joined Hogwarts, their arsenal was limited to earth elemental magic.
Compared to their harmless household spells or minor jinxes, Harry's teachings offered actual offensive power.
Fortunately, since this was the first trial of Harry's class, each apprentice had brought their new "friend" from bonding with an earth elemental—treated more like pets by some.
Though not as robust as Dotty, these elementals could still unleash their power in a pinch.
The forest's abundant soil churned, forming solid stones that smashed into the sea of spiders encircling them.
Yellow-green ichor splattered, and the spiders' dying screeches filled the air—but such losses were negligible against their overwhelming numbers.
When someone noticed the smaller spiders' fear of fire, Boot and Draco, under cover from others, lit their spare torches and tossed them out. It worked.
The thrown torches repelled the spiders, clearing patches of ground as dry and damp leaves caught fire, their crackling flames eliciting pained screeches and the popping of scorched limbs.
The stench of burning and black smoke made many want to retch, but no one dared.
With the burning torches, Harry's apprentices stood back-to-back, carving out a temporary safe zone. But there was no relaxing—the spiders had cut off their retreat.
The sea of spiders surrounded them completely. The ring of torch flames was their last bastion, shrinking under the relentless onslaught of spiders throwing themselves forward.
In that moment, everyone prayed the flames would burn longer, ignite the surrounding branches or leaves—anything—to burn every last spider.
The crimson flames devoured the smaller spiders, a slaughter no one, no matter how kind, could deny hoping would grow fiercer.
Cedric was drenched in sweat, his eyes bloodshot. Before him, a stone totem pillar, crafted from earth, rapidly bore intricate, meaningful runes.
As the totem was completed and planted into the ground, the apprentices felt their bodies grow heavier, as if coated in a faint yellow shield or cracked stone wall.
A protective totem—Cedric's top priority.
"Don't let your guard down!" he shouted, wiping sweat from his brow. "I've only just learned this spell! The shield isn't strong!"
Click-clack, click-clack…
The giant spider's chelicerae clacked mockingly.
"How foolish," it sneered, "to reveal your own weakness."
"Merlin's beard," Ron said, despairing. "A talking spider that understands us—what kind of nightmare is this?!"
"Acromantulas! They're all Acromantulas!" Cho Chang shouted, realization dawning. "Don't let them bite you—they're venomous!!"
"Fresh, tender meat. Small, but plentiful," the giant spider said greedily, eyeing the children. "Not centaurs, but enough prey… Take them to Aragog. He'll be pleased."
Its words were a final command. The smaller spiders stacked atop one another, forming a towering wave, a wall looming over the apprentices.
Even Luna, usually dreamy, snapped back to reality. She called upon the earth's power with all her might. The ground roiled, crushing eager spiders into pulp like a blender.
But there were still too many.
Acromantulas dominated the Forbidden Forest not just for their near-human intelligence and venom, but their sheer numbers. In this foreign land, they had no natural predators.
"Dotty!!!"
Roger Davies' cry was laced with desperation and rage, reminding everyone of Harry's words: this journey, this trial, came with a protector.
Clop, clop, clop…
"Wait, listen!" Draco suddenly turned, excited. "Quiet down! There's another sound!"
No need to listen.
"Die, spiders!!!"
With a wild roar, a centaur wreathed in flames barreled through the spider wall like a runaway train. The flames cloaked him, shielding the vulnerable parts of his equine body.
The smaller spiders, enraged, swarmed him, but couldn't even slow him. Those that touched his fiery cloak burned to ash in moments.
Like a god descended, the centaur's spear, ablaze with crimson flames, pierced the giant Acromantula's side.
Its size granted it resilience, and it didn't die immediately. It screeched and thrashed, its remaining legs whipping at the centaur, only to burn to ash upon touching his fiery cloak.
In its death throes, the Acromantula lunged for the centaur's arm but missed as he nimbly dodged. With a kick of his forelegs, he sent the spider's corpse flying off his spear into the sea of smaller spiders.
From his roaring entrance to piercing the spider and kicking its body away, his movements were fluid, leaving the young wizards in awe.
"A centaur!!" Ron shouted.
Unlike the others, who were simply relieved to be saved, Ron and his friends knew a bit more about centaurs.
"Hogwarts'—" The centaur's gruff voice cut off as his gaze swept over the elementals and Cedric's totem. "—shamans? Foals?"
"Bane! You charged in too fast!" Another flame-wreathed centaur appeared, with striking red hair.
"I know what I'm doing, Ronan! I don't need you telling me!" Bane glared at his companion. "I couldn't let that monster escape! It's already killed two of our kin!"
His fury was palpable, and Penelope, who'd been about to speak, wisely held her tongue.
Ronan, clearly a shaman as well, spoke to Bane while his hands wove through the air. Flames fell like clouds onto the sea of spiders.
Without the giant Acromantula's lead, the smaller spiders scattered, flowing like water up trees, through bushes, and beneath leaves, fleeing into the dark.
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