"Don't be so quick to doubt yourselves. How else will you know the gap between you and an Acromantula if you don't try?" Leonard's voice carried through the air. "Just so you know, Acromantulas have high magic resistance. Direct damage spells barely affect them."
"What good does that do us now? There are too many of them," George complained. "If they all rush us, we'll be torn apart."
The moment he spoke, the surrounding spiders went silent. Every one of them stared at the twins—then crouched, ready to pounce.
"Oh, right. Forgot to mention something," Leonard added with a sigh. "Acromantulas are very intelligent. They understand human speech. So the moment you panicked, they knew."
As soon as he finished, the Acromantulas lunged, ready to shred George and Fred to pieces.
The twins fought back immediately, shouting spells one after another. At that moment, they felt like they'd reached the peak of their magical abilities. Spells they used to struggle with now flew smoothly from their wands. Even the recently learned Shield Charm formed instantly, and Stunning Spells and Disarming Charms fired off flawlessly.
But even that wasn't enough. One Acromantula after another slammed into their shield, forcing them back step by step. The shimmering barrier from the Shield Charm trembled violently, on the verge of collapsing.
What made things even worse was that a second group of Acromantulas appeared behind them, cutting off all escape.
Leonard floated above them under the Levitation Charm, hidden by the Disillusionment Charm, watching the twins struggle without a hint of emotion.
When they heard the price of Acromantula venom earlier, he'd clearly seen the interest in their eyes. If he didn't do something now, they would absolutely sneak into the forest on their own to hunt them.
Classic Gryffindors—acting before thinking. If no one stopped them, it wouldn't be long before they became spider snacks.
They weren't him. They might be clever, inventing all sorts of useful gadgets, but none of that mattered against Acromantulas.
These spiders were cunning ambushers, pack hunters with 360-degree vision. With George and Fred's skills, they wouldn't survive a minute alone.
Hagrid catching them would just mean detention. Acromantulas catching them meant death.
So letting the spiders "educate" these two was more than necessary.
"Oh, right, I still need to test that portable swamp," Leonard said, tossing the device into the densest cluster of Acromantulas.
From the twins' perspective, a small sphere hit the snow-covered ground. When it burst open, the snow dissolved, revealing a muddy swamp beneath.
The spiders above were caught off guard and toppled in, sinking as they struggled to escape.
With so many Acromantulas suddenly removed from the fight, George and Fred finally breathed—but only for a moment.
A sharp cracking sound echoed behind them—like glass shattering.
One Acromantula had bitten straight through their Shield Charm and lunged at them!
Its monstrous limbs stretched wide, venomous fangs bared. As the beast flew at them, George stepped in front of Fred and braced himself.
"Transform!"
Leonard's voice cut through the chaos—casting the spell himself.
A flash of white light burst forth, and the Acromantula in mid-leap turned into a bewildered rabbit, falling straight into George's arms.
Eyes squeezed shut in terror, George felt something warm and furry hit his chest. Opening his eyes cautiously, he saw a rabbit kicking frantically in his arms.
"…A rabbit?" he said in disbelief.
"What rabbit?" Fred peeked over his shoulder—then froze.
It wasn't just one. Every Acromantula nearby—except those stuck in the swamp—had transformed into rabbits of various colors.
They still attacked with the same energy, but their fluffy forms made them look anything but frightening. Even as they leapt at the twins and gnawed on their shoes, they looked ridiculously adorable.
"When you're weak," Leonard said, appearing beside them, "your anger looks cute to everyone else."
He looked down at them. "So? How was being swarmed by Acromantulas?"
George and Fred, who had been furious and ready to swear off Leonard forever, were now too stunned to continue their outrage. They mechanically stroked the rabbits and slowly lifted their heads.
"Leonard! You almost got us killed!" George yelled. "We were nearly spider food!"
"But you're alive, aren't you?" Leonard shrugged. "Didn't you two want to hunt Acromantulas for venom? If you didn't experience it yourselves, you'd still think they were just big spiders, right? If I hadn't thrown you in to feel their real strength, would you really have given up?"
He added, "That's with me right here. If you'd come alone and got surrounded, what would you have done?"
George opened his mouth, ready to argue—but couldn't. He shut it and focused on petting the rabbit.
Terrifying or not, the creature in his hands was now just a wriggly ball of fluff.
Fred couldn't resist picking one up too. Watching it struggle, he asked, "What happened exactly? How did… they all become rabbits?"
"Transfiguration," Leonard said simply, picking up a rabbit of his own to inspect. "My spellwork's pretty good. Doesn't look like anything's wrong."
"I know it's Transfiguration," George said, clearing his throat. "I mean—how did you transform ALL of them at once?"
"Practice," Leonard said with a dismissive glance. "That's not the point. The point is whether you understand how dangerous Acromantulas really are."
A moment ago, their greed had been obvious. Who knew what they were thinking now?
"Sorry. We get it," George said sheepishly. "We really were planning on hunting them."
"We were wrong," Fred added with a grin. "But we'd totally do it again next time."
...
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