Harriet Potter Year 2: The Dreams of Yesterday

"The distinction between the past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion."

~Albert Einstein

Sirius, James, Lily, and Snape, Snape's Potions Lab- February 16, 1993

Sirius and James watched eagerly as Lily and Snape prepared the potion. One of the Horcruxes - the locket, incidentally- sat on the desk next to them, ready to use.

When Lily had contacted him at the Ministry to tell him that she and Snape thought that the potion (the one to safely destroy the Horcruxes), James had not hesitated to grab Sirius and high-tail it to Hogwarts, claiming a family emergency to get out of work early.

Dumbledore, who had been safeguarding the Horcruxes, had given them one and allowed them to use his Floo to quickly get to Snape's home.

When they got there, Lily looked as excited as James had ever seen her. Well, maybe not as excited as she had been on their wedding day, or when she learned she was pregnant, or when they were going to see Harriet for the first time in years, but still.

She was very, very, excited.

As for Snape, he looked excited, too, but in his own way.

(In other words, his usual scowl had been replaced by a simple glare, which, when dealing with the Marauders, especially, was quite a feat.)

"Right," Lily said, looking to Severus and nodding. "I think it's ready."

Snape nodded and stepped back, allowing Sirius to pick up the Horcrux (he had found it, his brother had died for it, and he promised Kreacher he would destroy it, so this was his right, in a way) and dropped it into the cauldron.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the contents of the cauldron began to sizzle, then boil. A large puff of red smoke rose from it, and then, as quickly as it had started, it was over.

Snape reached into the now empty cauldron with a rather sour look on his face. The Horcrux was still there.

Slimy, yes, but intact.

"It didn't work," Sirius said despondently.

Snape, slightly annoyed that his potions skills hadn't been able to destroy the blasted thing, drawled, "Clearly."

Then, after a moment, he added, more to himself than anybody else, "It contained the Horcrux well, though, so there should at least be no problems in safely disposing of it."

"It's the actual disposing that's the problem, now," James mused.

"It's missing something," Lily said, sounding agitated. "Horcruxes can self-repair themselves, so to destroy them, you need something that will destroy them faster than they can be fixed. We tried using Aconite to do that, it being one of the strongest poisons in the world, but clearly it's not strong enough."

James, trying to recall some of his potions knowledge from back at Hogwarts, frowned. "But what poison is stronger than Aconite?"

Snape, face as unreadable as ever, said simply, "Nothing."

Harriet Potter and Ronald Weasley, Gryffindor Common Room- February 16, 1993

They had to wait several hours before it was finally safe to leave their dorms. Harriet had pulled out her father's invisibility cloak and met Ron downstairs. He looked nervous, his freckles standing out against his pale skin, but determined.

Harriet hesitated. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Ron nodded without thinking. "For Hermione."

Harriet nodded in return and threw the cloak on top of them both. They crept to the portrait hole and opened it silently. It was difficult to avoid waking The Fat Lady, but not impossible and, though the cloak would protect their identities, there was nothing to stop her from mentioning to somebody else that the entrance to Gryffindor Tower had suddenly opened. Anybody who knew about Hermione and Harriet's invisibility cloak would be able to put things together.

Ron closed the entrance behind him delicately, his hand darting back underneath the cloak as soon as he was done. They each held their breath, waiting, but she just snored on.

Harriet and Ron shared a look, and began to make their way quickly to Hagrid's hut.

It was a moment like this that the Marauder's Map would have been useful, but Remus still had it.

(Harriet wondered how he was doing tonight, and what his reaction would be when he heard the news about Hermione- she could really use one of his hugs, right about now.)

They made it across the grounds and to Hagrid's door without any trouble. Harriet pulled the cloak off of them and took a deep breath.

She knocked on the door.

Ron and Harriet heard some shuffling inside an a crash, sounding as though something had been knocked from a table, followed my a muffled curse.

A second later, Hagrid's face appeared. He looked serious, not wholly surprised. "What are yeh two doing here?"

He beckoned them in with a large hand, closing the door firmly behind him. Ron and Harriet didn't sit down yet. Harriet scratched Fang gently behind the ears.

"We need to talk to you, Hagrid," Ron said first. Hagrid frowned.

"I heard about Hermione," he admitted ruefully. "Knew ye'd be real' worried 'bout it. How is she?"

"Petrified," Harriet said tersely. "Hagrid, we know you were at the school when the Chamber was last opened."

Hagrid didn't seem all that surprised. He just chuckled ruefully. "Figured you would've figured it out soon 'nuff. Why don't yeh sit down, then? Maybe I can answer some more of yer questions."

Ron and Harriet sat down at the table, still trusting Hagrid regardless of what had happened fifty years ago. Hagrid had seen her parents grow up and was one of Dumbledore's trusted friends. There must have been more going on here than meets the eye.

"Alright," Hagrid said. "So what do yeh wan' to know?"

"Did you open the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago?" Harriet asked bluntly. She'd feel bad about hurting Hagrid's feelings later. Right now, she wanted to find out who had hurt Hermione. Hagrid, thankfully, didn't seem too offended.

Ron added, "And did you open it now?"

"No," Hagrid said firmly, "And o' course not!"

"Then what happened back then?" Harriet asked, taking him at his word. "Why were you expelled from Hogwarts?"

"Well," Hagrid sighed, settling into his seat, "It's a bit o' a long story, so yeh'd best-"

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Harriet and Ron started at the knock on the door. Hagrid jumped up and peeped out the window. "It's Lucius Malfoy! And Professor Dumbledore! And- well, I can't make out the other two. Don' matter, though. Yeh'd two best hide!"

Hagrid didn't need to tell them that. They threw the cloak on top of them and huddled in the corner. Ron and Harriet held their breath as Hagrid opened the door and let in the guests. First walked in Malfoy, followed by Dumbledore

Then, Sirius and Harriet's dad.

Harriet's heart sunk to her stomach. This was not going to end well at all.

Sirius Black and James Potter, Dumbledore's Office- February 16, 1993

It was taking all of Sirius's not-insufficient self-control to not launch himself at his cousin-in-law. Again. In fact, replaying that moment again and again in his mind was the only thing keeping him back.

That and James's firm hand on his shoulder.

Lucius Malfoy stood smugly in front of them and Dumbledore, Umbridge simpering behind him, her hat sat at an odd angle at her head. Dumbledore stood stoically before them, James and Sirius at his side, the customary twinkle gone from the Headmaster's eyes.

Lockhart was there, too, although Sirius really couldn't imagine why. He was a bit useless.

"You listen to me, Lucius," Sirius said harshly. "You cannot kick Albus out of the school. You do that and there will be an attack everyday."

"I hardly doubt that," Lockhart offered. "I'll be here and I can assure you that the students will be quite safe with me."

Lockhart shut up when he saw James's and Sirius's glares.

"The school board feels that it would be for the best if Dumbledore were to vacate his position until these matters are resolved." Lucius Malfoy drawled.

"The Ministry concurs with these decisions," Umbridge added. Sirius had no doubt that this was a result of Dumbledore's success in removing the Dementors from Hogwarts (the decision from Wizengamot had come in only hours ago and the dementors were already gone from the grounds). It hadn't taken much to have Madam Bones rule the Dementors' presence from Hogwarts illegal (especially after she heard from Dumbledore's court testimony about how close they had gotten to some students) and Fudge was no doubt smarting from the sting and looking for a way to retaliate.

Dumbledore looked unconcerned.

"Very well," Dumbledore said finally. "If that is what the school board feels is best, then I have no choice but to comply. Professor McGonagall will be more than happy to take my place in the interim."

"Actually, the board has appointed me Headmaster for the time being," Lucius informed them.

James sputtered indignantly. "No. Absolutely not."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Potter," Umbridge giggled, "But the decision is not up to you."

"Why are you even here?" Sirius asked petulantly, annoyed that for all their combined influence as the Heads of not one, but two Ancient Houses (not even considering the fact he was technically tied up with the Malfoy house, as well), neither he or James were in any position to prevent Dumbledore's suspension.

"I am here to arrest the perpetrator of the attacks," she said primly. "What are you doing here?"

"Forget that!" James sputtered. The Horcruxes were their business, not the Ministry's. "Are you saying that you know who committed these attacks?"

"Of course we do," Lucius said.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Yet you're still removing Dumbledore from his post?"

"Just because the attacker has been caught, it does not excuse Dumbledore's incompetency," Lucius drawled.

This time it was Dumbledore who stopped Sirius from attacking. "Do not keep us in suspense any longer: who exactly will be arrested for these attacks?"

"Hagrid, of course," Umbridge said triumphantly.

Sirius just laughed. "Hagrid! That's funny! Now please, in all honesty. Who are you arresting?"

"Oh, I'm perfectly serious," Umbridge said, her smile faltering. Sirius's grin dropped off his face completely.

"No, you can't be serious," Sirius said. "I'm Sirius. Harriet being sent back to the Dursleys earlier this year was serious. You arresting Hagrid for the attacks? That's a joke."

"He was at the school fifty years ago when the Chamber was first opened," Lucius drawled, "And was expelled for- well, that's private record. Regardless, we were simply waiting for Aurors to meet us, so we could go have him arrested and brought to Azkaban. But now that you two are here-"

"We would never arrest-" Sirius began lowly but James interrupted.

"Very well."

"Prongs?" Sirius asked, sounding just a tad confused. James pulled him off to the side and cast a charm to keep the others from hearing.

Lockhart frowned and said, "Oh, come, now! There's no need for that," but Sirius and James didn't hear him.

Sirius snapped, "You can't be suggesting that we arrest Hagrid!"

"Better us than anybody else," James said gently. "Hagrid knows us, at least."

Sirius opened and closed his mouth, before finally giving a resigned sigh. "But it's Hagrid. And Azkaban. I know what's it like and Hagrid doesn't deserve to be there. Not for a day, not for a minute."

"You didn't deserve to be in there either," James said tersely.

Sirius's face darkened and, for a moment, James caught a glimpse of the man he must've been in Azkaban. "That was a different situation."

"I know, Padfoot," James muttered, "But it might buy us some time to talk to some friends at the Ministry- friends who know Hagrid well enough to know that he would never do anything like this. Hopefully, he won't be in there too long."

"James," Sirius said harshly, "You don't- You can't imagine. What it's like in there, I mean. All of your mistakes, your nightmares, everything played back in your mind over in over. A man's lucky he doesn't go insane after a day."

"You managed it," James said gently.

"Well, yes," Sirius grumbled reluctantly. "But I had you and Lily and Harriet to think about. I kept remembering you, remembering that I was innocent and that when you woke up, you'd get me out."

"Hagrid has us, too, and we need to tell him that," James said firmly. "And we'll get him out. You know we will."

"Fine," Sirius muttered, "But it doesn't mean I have to be happy about it."

James looked at him incredulously as he undid that charm. "Oh, and you think I am?"

"Well, if you two are done with your little chat," Lockhart said chirpily, "We can go ahead and get this party started!"

He laughed.

James scowled.

"We're about to arrest one of our oldest friends and take him to Azkaban prison," he all but snarled. "This is in no way, shape, or form, 'a party.'"

"Quite right," Lockhart said weakly. "My apologies."

Sirius and James each turned away without word, looking to Dumbledore for approval. He nodded and, together, the six of them traipsed over to Hagrid's hut. It was a cold night, James noted, and he wrapped his cloak further around himself. He and Sirius were to the back of the group, lagging a bit behind the others, where they would be able to talk unheard.

Sirius nudged him and nodded upwards at the full moon. "I hope Moony's handling his furry little problem alright."

James agreed. "Shame we couldn't go with him, but Lily and Snape apparently had some sort of breakthrough on that potion and had to try it out on the horcruxes, so Moony understood."

"He's got his potion now, too," Sirius said, trying to make himself feel less guilty about leaving his friend on his own.

He knew that Moony had dealt with the full moon many times on his own while Sirius was in prison and Lily and James were in the hospital, but Sirius couldn't help but wish that he was with him right now and he knew that James felt the same way.

"Shame that potion came to nothing," James added, remembering the anticipation of watching to see if the Horcrux had been destroyed, only to find that it hadn't quite worked. Lily and Snape both seemed to feel as if they were missing some sort of key ingredient and, when James and Sirius had left them, they were hard at work trying to figure out what it was.

They had only been updating Dumbledore about the situation when they had been dragged into this mess.

"Well," Sirius said, trying to speak lightly, "Look on the bright side!"

"What's that, then?" James said grudgingly.

"For once, Harriet's no where near any of the trouble!" He announced.

James allowed himself to feel a bit better. "That's right! She's safe and sound, asleep in her bed. Hopefully she's not too worried about Hermione- Madam Pomfrey said the Mandrakes should be ready soon and Sev said that he could brew that potion in his sleep."

"Prongs," Sirius said after a moment's silence. His voice sounded oddly strangled.

"Yes, Padfoot?"

"Did you just call Snape "Sev?"" He asked, tone aghast. James stopped short in shock, realizing that yes, he had. Sirius, noticing Malfoy eyeing them curiously up ahead, tugged James along, breaking him out of his stupor.

The two walked in silence for another beat, when James said:

"Padfoot?"

"Yes, Prongs?"

"Let's never speak of this again. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

And that was the end of that.

They finally made it to Hagrid's hut and knocked on the door. There was some shuffling inside and James was almost positive that, through the window, he glimpsed small flashes of black and red- Oh, please let that be anybody else- before they vanished. He hoped it was his imagination, but by his raised eyebrow, James knew that Sirius had seen it, too.

Hagrid opened the door, wearing the look on his face that both James and Sirius recognized as the one he used when he was trying to hide something very important.

Dumbledore nodded politely at Hagrid and then walked inside and everybody else followed. When James entered Hagrid's hut (it really was too small for this), he eyed it critically, looking for any sign of his daughter and her friend, but the cloak hid them too well.

"What brings yeh down 'ere?" Hagrid asked nervously.

"You can be at no loss, Mr. Hagrid," Umbridge simpered, "To know why we are here."

"I know yeh think I opened the Chamber, but I didn't," Hagrid denied, getting straight to the point. "I swear it t' yeh!"

"We don't think you opened the Chamber," Malfoy drawled, looking highly impatient. "We know you did. Fifty years ago, and then today."

Hagrid looked as though he were ready to throw Malfoy out the window and Sirius was sort of hoping that he did. Instead, Hagrid glared at Malfoy and then turned to face the two Aurors. He looked oddly hurt. "James? Sirius? Yeh know I'd ne'er do anything t' hurt Harriet."

"We know," James assured him. He didn't know what else to say, so he said it again. "We know."

"It'd be best if you just came with us quickly, Hagrid," Sirius added. "I promise you won't be in there long."

Hagrid seemed to finally realize where he would be going. He paled dramatically under all his hair. "Yeh- Yeh don't mean Azkaban?"

Neither Sirius or James had a real answer for him. All they could do was look at him apologetically. The entire thing was out of their hands. Hagrid looked desperately at Dumbledore. "Can yeh do anything, Professor?"

"I have already tried to tell the Ministry that they are making a grave and terrible mistake," Dumbledore said softly, "But they refuse to listen."

Hagrid looked so completely hopeless that James came incredibly close to just grabbing him and running away. They could hide him somewhere. The wards at Grimmauld Place were still up, from what Sirius said.

"Right," Hagrid said, trying his best to be brave. He nodded at Sirius. "Well, Sirius, if yeh could do it for ten years, I could do it fer a couple o' days."

Sirius smiled tightly.

"Professor, if yeh wouldn't mind checkin' in on Fang while I'm away," Hagrid said to Dumbledore, "I'd 'ppreciate it. He gets awful lonely."

"I would love to check in on Fang for you," Dumbledore said reluctantly, "However, I fear I cannot. I have been temporarily removed from my position as Headmaster, effective immediately."

Sirius and James (and Harriet and Ron) had never seen Hagrid so angry. He seemed to grow to twice his size and glared so fiercely at Umbridge and Malfoy that it was a wonder they didn't recoil.

"Yeh can't get rid of Dumbledore! He's the only protection this school's got!" Hagrid said fiercely.

"Hagrid," Dumbledore soothed, walking up to place his hands on Hagrid's shoulders. "It will be alright, I assure you. Hogwarts remains in capable hands. And-"

And here Dumbledore's eyes twinkled so fiercely and for the first time that night, so James just knew that Dumbledore knew that Harriet and Ron were here and he was speaking directly to them, telling them something important.

"-I am never gone, not as long as those who remain in the castle are as loyal to me as you. Help can always be found at Hogwarts for those who are willing to ask."

"Thank-you for those touching words, Professor," Malfoy sneered, "But I think we need to get down to business. Hagrid, if you will come with us..."

"The least you can do is give Hagrid a few minutes to get his things in order," Sirius protested. Malfoy scowled.

"And give him a chance to run?"

"Sirius and I will wait here with him them," James said hotly, sounding oddly like his wife. "The rest of you: out! That goes for you, too, Professor Lockhart!"

Professor Lockhart, who had been incredibly quite since the entire matter started, looked quite disappointed with the proclamation (he had been enjoying the drama, it seemed), but seeing how firm James and Sirius both were, finally stood up from his position seated at the table and walked outside with Dumbledore, Umbridge, and Malfoy, bragging about how he himself had been to Azkaban only once, and that was to visit all the criminals he had been directly responsible for locking up.

Once the door firmly shut behind them, James took a deep breath. "Right. Harriet, Ron, you two can come out now."

Harriet Potter, Hagrid's Hut, Hogwarts- February 16, 1993

Harriet and Ron couldn't keep the indignant frowns off of their faces as they emerged from underneath the cloak. She demanded, "How did you we were here?"

Sirius looked insulted. "Us? We're experts, Prongslette."

"I think the better question is what are you doing here in the first place?" her father demanded, crossing his arms and looking at her questioningly.

Harriet felt guilty almost immediately, but thinking of Hermione made up her mind. Thinking quickly, she said the first thing that came to mind.

"We needed to ask Hagrid a question about a book."

"A book?" Ron asked, flabbergasted.

"A book?" Hagrid asked, equally confused.

"A book?" Sirius deadpanned.

"A book," Harriet affirmed. "Ron and I were reading this book- to keep our minds off Hermione- and we wanted to know how it ends and, since Hagrid's read it already, we thought we'd ask him."

"Right," her father said, sounding completely disbelieving. Still, he had no proof that she and Ron were doing otherwise, so he ultimately sighed and said, "Ask away."

"Thanks," Harriet muttered. "So, ah, Hagrid. How did that book end again?"

Hagrid looked a bit caught off guard and sputtered for a moment. He said, "Well, I wouldn't want ter spoil the endin' for yeh, now, would I? But I'll tell ya' this: the mystery is solved when the two, er, heroes- yup, that's it. Heroes- follow the spiders."

"Follow the spiders?" Ron asked weakly. Harriet kicked him in the shin and he quickly cleared his throat. "Right. Thanks, Hagrid."

"If that's all then," her father began, but Harriet interrupted him.

"Are really going to take Hagrid to Azkaban?" she demanded. Ron, who was hugging Fang now, looked up at the two Aurors fearfully.

"We don't really have a choice, Prongslette," her father said gently. Harriet shook her head defiantly and ran to Hagrid, latching her arms firmly around his waist.

"You can't take Hagrid away!" she protested. Hagrid looked close to tearing up as he reached down to pet her head, muttering soothing nonsense to her. Harriet just clutched him closer until her father tugged her away.

"I know it's hard, Prongslette," her father said, pulling her in for a hug, "But I promise we'll get him out as soon as we can. You need to be strong, though, alright? For Hagrid."

Harriet sniffled and then nodded. She could try, but honestly! Between Moony and Hermione and Hagrid and everything it was getting to be too much for her. She had never thought she'd say say this, but she couldn't wait for this year to be over.

"Right," her father said, planting a kiss on her head. "Padfoot and I need to get Hagrid to the Ministry for processing-" Hagrid choked- "And you need to get right back to your dorms, understood?"

"We'll head right back," Harriet promised, but her father snorted.

"Nice try, Prongslette. I'll be sending you back with Lockhart."

"What?" Ron and Harriet yelped.

"We'll lose House Points!" Ron argued.

"It's Lockhart!" Harriet added.

James just shook his head and Sirius agreed, "We would normally be more sympathetic to your plight- really, we would- but considering the attacks, it's too dangerous to let you two wander the halls on your own."

Harriet tried again, "But Lockhart?"

Even Hagrid, the man who had just been told he was going to spend the next day or so in Azkaban, looked sympathetic.

"Sorry, Prongslette," her father said, standing up. "Lock- Ah, Gilderoy!"

Lockhart popped his head into the hut and smiled. "What's all the fuss about?"

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Harriet, Harriet, Harriet! What are you doing here this late? And your friend- Reginald, was it?"

"Ron," Ron grumbled.

"Quite right," Lockhart said, not sounding apologetic at all.

"They came to visit Hagrid," Harriet's father said, thankfully not offering Lockhart any more details. "I can assure you that Professor McGonagall will be informed and will decide the proper punishment. In the meantime, I was hoping you could escort my daughter and her friend back to their rooms."

Lockhart looked slightly disappointed and Harriet had no doubt that it was because he wouldn't be able to take Hagrid to the Ministry, therefore missing out on any and all possible action, not to mention all of the reporters.

However, it was such a reasonable request that he could hardly say no, could he? So, he nodded dejectedly and, with a wave of his hand, he picked up a spare lantern from Hagrid's table and lead Ron and Harriet back into Hogwarts.

Harriet originally had no plans to disobey her father.

Really.

It's not as though she intentionally set out to get into trouble.

But as Lockhart lead them back to the Gryffindor dorm, Harriet noticed something very peculiar in a corner of one of the corridors: there was a line of spiders filing, one by one, through a crack in the wall and outside.

Follow the spiders, Hagrid had said.

Who was she to disobey him?

She subtly nudged Ron and nodded towards the spiders. He paled and Harriet remembered that he had always had a strong aversion to them.

He'll get over it, Harriet told herself, because she had never seen spiders act like that and she had seen a lot of spiders, thanks to her time in the cupboard.

"Professor," Harriet said, stopping short. Ron stopped with her, forcing Lockhart to turn around and fix them with a curious look.

"Yes, Harriet?" He said, still sounding incredibly petulant, no doubt none too happy about not getting to go to the Ministry.

"It's really not right that you should have to walk us to our rooms," Harriet said innocently. Ron, sensing where she was going, nodded eagerly.

"Yea, Professor," he agreed. "You should be going with Harriet's dad and Sir- I mean, Aurors Potter and Black to the Ministry. They might need your expertise and stuff."

"It's my duty to see you back to your dorms," Lockhart began, but Harriet cut him off.

"We're almost there, though! We don't have to tell my dad- It'll be our little secret. If you run, Professor, you might even have a chance to change your clothes before you meet up with them. You don't want to look rumpled for the photographers, do you?"

Lockhart, an eager grin on his face, shook his head. "No. No I wouldn't. If you're sure...?"

"Yes," Ron said, shoving Lockhart in the back slightly and taking the lantern from him. "Now, go."

Harriet looked amused as Lockhart ran off. "He really is an idiot. C'mon, then."

Ron looked slightly nervous at the prospect of having to follow the spiders, but didn't argue. When the reached the crack where the spiders were leaking through, Ron pointed out, "They're going outside."

"Right," Harriet muttered and, a minute later, the two of them found themselves outside again, trying to see by the light of the lantern. They split up, Harriet searching in one direction, Ron in another. Harriet gave him the lantern and went off on her own.

If she was going to make him look for spiders, the least she could do was make it a bit easier for him.

It was Ron that found the trail of spiders again.

He groaned, "I found them."

"That's good!" Harriet said, turning to join him.

"You won't be saying that when you see where they're headed," Ron grumbled. Harriet raised her eyebrows as she ran over to him.

"What makes you say that?"

"They're headed into the Forbidden Forest," Ron said, sounding a bit depressed. Harriet couldn't blame him. The last time she, Ron, and Hermione had ended up in the Forbidden Forest (serving detention with Draco Malfoy and Neville and Hagrid), Harriet had almost ended up being killed by Quirrell and had to be saved by a centaur named Firenze.

"Well," Harriet said, trying to sound optimistic. "It can't be any worse than what happened last time. Let's go!"

Harriet Potter and Ron Weasley, The Forbidden Forest- February 17, 1993

It must have been well past midnight and Harriet and Ron were definitely feeling it. Despite the darkness that surrounded them in the Forest (even the full moon couldn't light their way, thanks to the thickness of the trees) and the adrenaline they were both running on, they both had to keep suppressing their yawns.

They almost lost the trail several times, but inevitably found it again. The spiders were headed deeper and deeper into the forest and the two friends followed them. They had long ago left the path through the Forest- the same path that Hagrid himself had told them to stay on the last time they were in the Forest.

"Where're they going?" Ron muttered.

"I don't know," Harriet admitted. "It's like they're running away from something, though. They're moving so fast!"

"Running from what?" Ron wanted to know. Harriet shrugged and looked to the ground. She frowned: the spiders were gone.

"Where did they go?" she asked Ron, but he didn't answer. When she looked up, he was as pale as she had ever seen him and shaking. At first, she thought his teeth were chattering, too, but then she realized that the clicking sound was coming from behind her.

Before she could turn around, though, she felt herself being picked up around the waist by something long, strong, and hairy. She gasped, but no sound came out as she found herself being carried-upside down- through the forest.

It took a minute for her eyes to adjust (she had lost the lantern when she was picked up), but when they did, Harriet saw that whatever was carrying her had eight legs (it was walking on six, carrying her with two) and, above her, Harriet could make out a pair of black pincers.

It looks like we've found the spiders again, Harriet thought.

Judging by the struggling sounds she could hear, Ron was no doubt receiving a similar treatment and she felt immensely bad for him. This was scary enough for her, but she couldn't imagine the terror he was feeling, being carried by massive versions of the thing he feared most.

Harriet felt all the blood rush to her head as she continued to be carried deeper into the Forest, Ron behind her. It took her a minute, but she finally realized that the ground was sloping downward. She wasn't sure how long they went, but eventually the darkness cleared and Harriet could see.

They had entered the rom of a large hollow, the ground swarming with spiders of all sizes. The light coming in was a result of the trees in the area that had been cleared away, allowing the moon and stars to shine through.

Harriet sort of wished she couldn't see, though. The spiders in the clearing were not normal spiders.

Oh no. That would be too easy.

These spiders were massive, like the ones carrying her and Ron, but some even more so: there were spiders the size of babies, some the size of dogs, and most the size of horses. The one carrying Harriet brought her down through the crowd and down the steep sloe, towards a misty domed web in the center.

Harriet was suddenly dropped to the ground, landing on her hands and knees. Ron wasn't so lucky: when he was dropped, he landed flat on his face. She stood up first, then hauled him up. He was shaking. Still, like her, he had the presence of mind to pull his wand out of the pocket of his robe.

"My wand!" his voice squeaked. Harriet risked looking away at the spiders to look at Ron's wand. Whether from the fall or from where the spider had gripped him tightly, Ron's wand was now snapped in half.

"I don't think that's our biggest problem right now," Harriet whispered. The spider that had dropped her seemed to be saying something, its pincers snapping furiously.

Then, it began to speak in a language that Harriet could understand.

"Aragog!" it called. "Aragog!"

Harriet had seen a lot of strange and scary things in her short life: Voldemort coming from the back of Quirrell's head, Dudley without any clothes (she was never going to forget to knock ever again).

None of them compared to this.

From the middle of the web, a spider the size of a small elephant crawled out. Unlike the other black spiders, this one was more gray, and each of its eyes were milky white. This spider was blind and old.

When he spoke, his voice seemed to reverberate throughout the clearing. "What is it?"

The spider who had caught Ron spoke this time. "Men."

"Hagrid?" asked Aragog curiously.

"Strangers," the spider corrected.

"Kill them," the spider said easily. It went to move back into the hollow, but Harriet finally found her voice.

"We're friends of Hagrid!" she shouted.

The spiders in the hollow clicked their pincers furiously and Aragog hesitated. "Hagrid has never sent strangers here before."

"Hagrid is in trouble," Harriet managed to say through her fear. "That's why we've come. He thought you could answer some questions for us."

"In trouble?" Aragog said.

"They think, up that the school, that is, that Hagrid's been setting a- a- well, something on the students. They've taken him to Azkaban."

The spiders did not seem happy about this. The drew closer together, tightening the circle around the two children, and more spiders began to appear from the trees and over the hollow. Harriet told herself not to look.

"That was years ago," said Aragog, the worried tone in his voice sounding oddly strange on him. Harriet didn't know that spiders could sound worried. Years and years ago. I remember it well. That's why they made him leave the school. They believed that I was the monster that dwells in what they call the Chamber of Secrets. They thought that Hagrid had opened the Chamber and set me free."

"So you didn't come from the Chamber of Secrets?" Harriet asked.

Aragog seemed insulted by the thought. "No! I come far from the castle, in a distant land. A traveler gave me to Hagrid when I was just an egg. Although he was just a boy, Hagrid cared for me, fed me, hid me away in a cupboard. Alas, I was discovered and blamed for the death of a girl. Hagrid protected me, though, and brought me here. He found me a wife, Mosag, and you see how our family has grown, all through Hagrid's goodness ..."

"So you've never attacked anyone?" Harriet asked.

Ron tugged on her sleeve.

Apparently he had also found his voice because he said, "Harriet!"

"Not now, Ron," Harriet whispered back.

Aragog ignored the exchange and said, "Never. Although it is instinct to seek flesh- whether human or otherwise- my respect for Hagrid prevented me. He was a good master. I never wished to see harm come to him. The body of the girl who was killed was found in a bathroom far from me and the cupboard where I spent my life."

Harriet never thought she'd actually have something in common with a spider.

"Do you know what did kill that girl, then?" Harriet asked. "If you do- Whatever it is, it's back and it's attacking people again."

"We do not speak it's name," Aragog roared, the trees shaking. Harriet and Ron were shaking harder. "It is an ancient creature and is feared by spiders above all else. We dare not speak its name!"

"I've heard that before," Harriet said, narrowing her eyes a bit as she remembered Isaura's advice to her over Christmas. She didn't dare press the subject, though. She wasn't stupid. Harriet knew when she was outnumbered.

"Harriet!" Ron hissed again.

Harriet looked at him sharply. "What?"

Ron pointed around him and Harriet suddenly felt bad for not paying any attention to him before. All around them, more and more spiders were appearing. Harriet felt her stomach clench, the adrenaline from the new information fading.

"Right," she said desperately. "Thanks, then. We'll just go then."

Aragog looked amused. "Go? I think not."

"But- but-" Ron squeaked.

"My sons and daughters do not harm Hagrid, on my command. But I cannot deny them fresh meat, when it wanders so willingly into our midst. Goodbye, friend of Hagrid."

He disappeared, but Harriet didn't bother watching. She spun around, wand held out, trying to figure out how many spiders were beginning to surround them, but she knew it would be no good. Even if she had known a spell to hold them all off, Ron's wand was useless.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise and she and Ron huddled together, fearing another massive spider like Aragog.

Instead, the last thing Harriet could have possible imagined crashed through the bushes.

Ron's dad's flying car.

Covered in dirt and vines and shrubs, it looked as though it had been hiding out in the Forbidden Forest these past few months.

"It's gone feral!" Ron exclaimed, as it crashed through several dozen spiders to get to them. Ron and Harriet wasted no time climbing inside and slamming the door shut. Ron put the car in reverse and slammed on the gears.

He did his best to steer looking over his shoulder, but it was so dark and there were so many trees and spiders and they were screaming so loudly- looking back, Harriet would admit that it was the car that had done all the work.

Harriet lost count of the number of spiders they hit on the way out of the hollow. Finally, though, following a path that it obviously new, the car found a small cluster of bushes to hide behind, dimming its lights. The spiders march on past them, not seeing them.

Ron and Harriet held their breath, waiting, until it finally seemed safe.

"Thank Merlin for this car," Harriet finally said in relief.

Ron seemed in complete agreement. "Yea. I can't believe it saved our lives. I always thought it was a worthless hunk of metal."

Later, Ron would regret saying that.

The car, none too happy, about Ron's comment, revved its engines and the doors opened. Harriet had the distinct feeling of deja-vu as the car spat them out and sped away.

Harriet and Ron sat up and climbed out of the shrubs they had fallen in, pulling twigs out of their hair. Harriet glared at him.

"Why'd you have to go and say that?" she demanded. Ron shrugged, unconcerned and began to fiddle carefully with his wand. Harriet didn't have the heart to tell him that it looked broken beyond all repair.

"Sorry," he said, not sounding all that sorry. "It's not like it matters, though, right? We're safe now."

Harriet took a look around her (to try and figure out the way back to Hogwarts) and then swallowed loudly. "You might want to rethink that last one, mate."

"Why?" Ron asked, still preoccupied with looking at his wand. Then he looked up and saw that the spiders had found them. They were surrounded.

Again.

"Oh," he said weakly. Harriet nodded. The car was nowhere to be found and more and more spiders were coming. She put her wand up, ready to go down fighting, but still knowing that it was basically hopeless.

Ron was the one brave enough to voice what they were thinking.

"We're doomed."

They were surrounded by dozens and dozens of spiders, alone in the Forbidden Forest with no car, no help, no one the wiser and only one wand between the two of them.

Harriet had to agree.

AN: Words cannot tell me how I bad I feel that I waited this long to update this story. Really. In my defense, I had my gallbladder removed, but considering I found the time to update my other stories (and post two new ones-really?), it's hardly a good defense. In return, though, I give you a nice long chapter filled with lots of drama and a cliff-hanger! Am I forgiven? Review and let me know ;)

Enjoy!

tinyrose65