Hogwarts a History – In the dark of the night
Chapter 04 – Some kind of spider girl

…

This was not how he saw his night going. Find the spiders, find some answers, depending on answers found, proceed accordingly.

It wasn't a great plan, not even half-descent when you stop and think about it, but it was still a plan and it was his plan, and they hadn't even gotten through step one before hitting a major diversion.

"Okay, let me see if I've got this straight."

"Alright."

"This—person," he gestured at the painted disaster glaring at Luna, "is Su Li from Ravenclaw?"

"Yes."

"And she was chasing you around Hogwarts because…" and this was the part that hurt his brain, "because you stole her underwear."

"Yes."

"All of it?"

"It wouldn't have done any good to just take some of it."

"I suppose." He didn't really, but what else could he do.

Ron had found something, and he could tell without even having to look, Su Li did not appreciate it.

"Stop staring! You're not going to see anything."

"I wasn't!"

Oh, Sweet Merlin. "Why?" he asked, fearing the answer.

"She wouldn't play with me otherwise."

*Sigh*

This was not how he saw his night going. The same could probably be said for Su Li who wore a look that strained between the precipice of humiliated bawling and infuriated murder. Fine line, few people know that.

The difference between he and her of course was, Harry still had a chance to get his night back on track.

"Have you girls seen any spiders while you were running around the castle?"

"Can't say's I have," said Luna with a look that pondered, even after the conclusion was found.

"You wouldn't," said Su Li tersely. "They've been fleeing the castle in lines. I'd be surprised if there were any still in Hogwarts."

"In lines?" Ron wondered.

"Like ants in a line," she said, still giving him the look. "Which is odd because spiders aren't hive creatures. It's not normal to see them travel as a group like that."

Normal, as Harry well knew, was subjective. And that was when magic wasn't involved. Throw magic into the mix and normal became a quaint curiosity for bored intellectuals with no bearing or application on reality. (Reality of course, also being subjective).

"You don't by any chance remember which way these spiders were going?" asked Harry.

"I do," she said. "It was always the same direction, which struck me as odd, that's why I remember. It was out that way, toward the forest."

"Dammit!"

"Is that bad?" the painted girl wondered.

"It is if they're going where I think they're going," some place he swore he'd never go back to if he could help it.

"And, where's that? For that matter, why do want to follow them?"

Harry considered the question.

It was a risk, telling her the truth. It wasn't an innocent sort of truth. Incriminating, that's the word, it was very incriminating. If she decided to tell a teacher, expulsion would be the least of their problems.

On the other hand, he got the feeling if he didn't tell her, the likelihood of getting ratted out was significantly higher. It was like dealing with Pansy again. What decided it was the fact all four of them would be in trouble if they got caught as they were, so…

"Well?"

He told her. Not everything, just the bit from that night. Hagrid, the minister, Lucius Malfoy, and the half giant's parting words.

"You think he meant it literally?"

"Hagrid's never been one for metaphor. Not so long as I've known him."

Merlin only knew what that would look like.

"So, we gotta go into the forest?" said Ron.

"Sounds like it."

"Harry. I don't wanna go in the forest."

Neither did Harry. He'd done that once in the middle of the night and nearly been killed by a dark lord eating unicorns. And that was before he knew what else was out there. He didn't want to go into the forest.

And as usual, he wasn't going to get what he wanted.

"Let's go Ron."

"Awww!"

"We're going with you," said Luna.

"What!" squeaked Su Li.

"Fine, whatever, let's go." He wasn't getting any closer to the answers he sought standing there arguing, and, in the worst case, having more people along would give him extra bodies to throw at the spiders if it came to that.

Sneaking out of the castle, the four naughty children made their way to Hagrid's hut where they picked up Fang, who was elated to see them, even the ones he didn't know.

Dog in tow, they headed for the forest. Ron and Harry were nervous but determined, Luna and Su Li grumbled from the back.

… Okay, it was just Su Li.

"Why are we doing this? This is a terrible idea. How did I let you talk me into this?"

"Did you want those answered in any particular order?" said Luna.

Su Li just growled. That was fine, Luna knew how to interpret growl.

"Well, I'm here because Harry is my friend and I want to help him," she explained. "You're here because if I don't come back, you'll spend the rest of the year holding down your skirt in fear of a good stiff breeze."

"… I hate you Lovegood."

"I'd expect nothing less of my eternal rival."

Before denials of rivalness could be loudly expressed, the group came to a halt, their destination reached.

"Harry? I'm not feeling great about this."

Understandable. The thick, layered darkness of the forest was not intended to inspire feelings that could in any world be called 'great', not even good or mildly passable.

"We need answers Ron. We have to go in there."

"I hope you have a more specific destination than just 'in there'," said Su Li sourly. "In there is an awful lot of ground to cover, especially when we don't really know what we're looking for."

"I like to think of it as an adventure," said Luna.

"Barmy," said… do I even have to say.

"The spiders," said Harry. "Follow the spiders he said. We're close to the forest. Look around, see if you can find some."

"How're we supposed to see'em in the dark?" Ron whined.

"Are you a wizard or not?" Harry said a bit smugly, drawing his wand and lighting the dark.

"Cor blimey!" Ron exclaimed at the overpowering illumination.

"Hope no one in the castle is looking out this way," Su Li grumbled.

There wasn't. But that isn't to say someone didn't see it.

"Hey! Turn out that light! People are trying to sleep."

The four children jumped at the angry exclamation, though it went otherwise unheeded.

Waving his wand about, Harry looked for the source of the demand, at last setting on a nearby tree where an angry looking female looked down at them while trying to shield her eyes from the blinding light.

She was looking down because she was hanging from higher up the tree. Dark, unkempt hair hung at the whim of gravity across arms that only just failed to hide the strange glint off even stranger eyes, but it was the bit attaching her to the tree that drew the most attention.

Six long, spindly legs jutting from a dark brown behind that looked like nothing more than the back half of a…

"Spu—spu—SPIDER!"

The scream that came from the ginger was impressive in both volume and pitch. Harry'd always known his friend had some pipes, he just hadn't known they were stolen from a five-year-old girl.

The 'spider' glaring down at them didn't seem to appreciate Ron's vocal prowess. Standing right next to him Harry wasn't too keen on it either and he was considering a hasty retreat, only to be halted by the last thing he expected.

Fang, an observable and, by Hagrid's own admission, bloody coward, had his mouth hanging open in a big doggy grin while his tail whipped back and forth.

Now, Harry understood Ron just had a thing about spiders, but a spider person—thing, this size, should have been cause for concern regardless of your phobias.

So why wasn't Fang afraid?

"Ron, I'm really sorry about this."

With a well-practiced motion, the light from his wand vanished and Ron toppled to the ground, stunned in unconsciousness.

The silence was almost deafening.

"Thank you," said the spider girl. "That was starting to make my head hurt."

"Funny," said Luna, "I haven't heard him scream like that in years."

"Yeah, right, interesting as that is," and he'd have to remember to ask her about it later, "You mind coming down from there?"

The spider girl considered a moment before climbing down from the tree, her spider legs thudding heavily into the ground as she moved from the vertical to horizontal plane. Fang, wiggling and squirming happily, raced to meet her. Tilting down she smiled, petting the happy dog.

"You two know each other?" Harry asked, hoping to sound out this peculiar stranger.

"He is Hagrid's," she said. "When he first told me this I did not understand. I thought he meant it was to be food."

"Too old," Su Li remarked. "Dog's only good if you get it young."

(The more you know I guess).

Stifling his horror, (what is learned cannot be unlearned) he latched onto the bit of her statement he wanted to talk about, "You know Hagrid?"

She nodded. "I tried sneaking into the castle looking for food. He took me to his home and fed me. He made me this garment to keep me warm," she said, excitedly showing off her woolen sweater.

It was an interesting piece, good and heavy, a very practical garment. Also, it looked like it had been made from every odd and end he could find, beg, or borrow.

"It's very nice," said Harry.

The spider girl glowed at the compliment. "He's been very kind to me."

"He's been taken away, to prison."

"I know," she said. "I was watching when the plump man and that strange woman came for him."

Harry snickered at the 'strange woman'. She wasn't wrong, technically. Lucius Malfoy would be considered strange for a woman.

"We were there too," he said, "Ron and me. He said something to us before he left. He said, if we wanted to know what happened fifty years ago, we should follow the spiders. Was he talking about you?"

She shook her head. "I'm only twelve. I wouldn't know anything about that."

"It's happening again. They think Hagrid's responsible. We need to find out what happened so we can prove he isn't. Can you help us?"

Put on the spot, she worried her lip, fidgeting nervously, and let me tell you, you have not seen fidgeting till you've seen someone with eight limbs fidget.

"Father would probably know," she said reluctantly, casting a glance at the impenetrable dark of the forest. "If it is for Hagrid, he might talk to you."

"Alright. Let's go."

"Shouldn't we wake him up first?" said Su Li.

Fast asleep on the chilly earth, Ron Weasley lay, peaceful and still.

"I like him better this way," the spider girl opined.

Harry just rubbed his face and groaned. Not according to plan. Not according to plan at all.