CHAPTER 11:

BARGHEST AND GOBLIN

"So, do you think that worked?" Harry asked.

Lily sniffed. "A Patronus will not go anywhere unless you have a specific person in mind, or you direct it yourself. Or if Dementors are coming to rape your soul and then eat it, but then you have worse problems. The fact that my Patronus went somewhere means that Sirius is definitely alive in this world."

I need to ask, why did you wizards use such creatures as prison guards? Hiiro asked. That sounds like cruel and unusual punishment if you're just there for theft. Maybe if they were serial killers or rapists, but

"Hiiro, I've given up considering why wizards do the things they do. Humans in general seem to do stupid bloody things, magic just amplifies this," Lily said.

Believe it or not, removing the Dementors from Azkaban was one of the few decisions I agreed with James Potter with, Hermione said. If it weren't for the fact that he was an egomaniac who framed you and all but took the credit for what you did, Harry, a lot of his policies were actually good ones. And not just from a PR point of view. Honestly, it makes me wonder why he went to the trouble of tossing you through the Veil, Harry. Was your not being his child really that repugnant, or was it because you didn't play ball?

Harry shook his head. "I don't know, and honestly, I don't care. If what you said is true, I have little for me back on Earth now."

The five of them were in the living room of the mansion again. After lunch, Lily returned, having delivered the mirror to Lord Keren, along with the message from Ariel regarding Sophia. Lily had decided to try out her idea of using a Patronus to contact Sirius. Assuming he was alive.

"I noticed that the Patronus was heading northwest," Ariel mused. "In fact, I've got a weird hunch it was heading for the Mystic Mountains between the Demon Realm and the Renxandt Empire. Of course, there's probably a lot of places it could be going between this place and the Mystic Mountains, but…well, now that I come to think of it, Sirius Black went through the Veil about a decade ago, right? Well, not too long after that, rumours reached us of some sort of new monster in the area, close to Goblin territory. A Barghest, to be precise."

Lily frowned as she considered that. "…Well…if that is him, it does make sense."

"Why is that?" Harry asked.

A Barghest, back on Earth, was a similar creature to a Grim, Harry. In other words, a kind of magical dog, often considered a harbinger of death, Hermione pointed out. It might be coincidence, though.

"Maybe," Lily said. "I would have picked myself as reincarnating as a doe of some sort. Then again, given my disillusionment with James…well, my Patronus has changed into a Phoenix."

"Whereas mine is a spider," Ariel said.

Harry nodded, but Hermione looked to Ariel in shock. …You can cast a Patronus, Ariel?! she all but yelped into their heads.

"…Uhh, yeah? Lily taught me, back when she thought she was just Yuri. Why?"

"Yeah, Hermione. Why is it such a big deal?" Harry asked.

Harry, people who are too evil cannot cast a Patronus, Hermione said. I'm not sure whether Ariel's sheer power allows her to simply ignore any backlash, she makes most dark wizards back home look like children, but…if someone like Voldemort or a Death Eater tried to cast a Patronus, they'd be consumed by maggots. There's the case of Raczidian, for example.

"Before you get excited, I know that Snape could cast a Patronus, in spite of his allegiances, and so could Dumbledore and James," Lily pointed out. "But Ariel…while she has flexible morals, she's not exactly Voldemort. She may not place much value in human life, but she doesn't go out of her way to attack them unless they provoke her."

"…I did for a time after the System went into place," Ariel confessed. "It was Gülie who eventually stopped me. I was weaker then than I was now. But Gülie told me that Sariel would not want me to engage in genocide." She shook her head. "Never mind about that. Now, should we get a reply from Sirius Black, what then? If he was such a good friend of James Potter, then who's to say he won't refuse an alliance given your grievances with him? Assuming D hasn't tampered with his memories, anyway."

"I'll be sure to remind that mutt about not only who left him to rot in Azkaban, but also who left my son in Hagrid's arms, while he chased after Pettigrew half-cocked," Lily said. "And anyway, as long as he is not our enemy, then not being our ally can work if he knows any reincarnations."

D claimed most of the reincarnations were humans in this second life, Hiiro pointed out. But the reincarnations we have met so far were not human. There's me, Miss Granger and Miss Oka are both Elves, even if Miss Granger is half-human, and Sophia is a Vampire Progenitor, even if she was born to human parents. Are there many humans in the Mystic Mountains?

"Yes, actually," Ariel said. "But the area does have many more inhuman races, aside from Demons. Goblins are endemic to the area, for example."

"They're different to the ones on Earth, Harry," Lily said. "They're small, tribal beings with a hunter-gatherer lifestyle with short lifespans. A bit like humanoid reptilian rodents, actually. When they evolve, their lifespans increase, as do their strength. Believe it or not, they're generally decent beings if you don't provoke them, but their cooperation in combat is incredible."

"Ice Dragons are also endemic to the area, as are Agronatches," Ariel pointed out. On Harry's questioning look, she clarified, "Agronatches are monster apes."

Yeesh, Hiiro muttered. If one of my classmates was a Goblin, they wouldn't live that long. That's not a cheerful thought at all. And I remember having to fight off so many Agronatches in the Great Elroe Labyrinth. Nai wa, I was really fighting for my life when they ganged up on me.

I'm sorry you had to go through all that, Hiiro, Hermione said solemnly. I literally cannot imagine what it must have been like to have to fight your way through the Great Elroe Labyrinth. As your teacher, I feel responsible.

Hey, it's not your fault, Miss Granger, Hiiro replied. It's D's fault. And in a perverse way…I'm glad I did. I got to meet Harry. He helped me stay sane, stay remotely moral. She shuffled over to Harry, and he found the proximity of the monstrous spider comforting, despite everything. Hell, he brought me out of my shell.

Yes, you've been a lot chattier than you have been, Hermione mused. And I am glad. I worried about you, Hiiro, and you were pretty…laconic towards me, to say the least. Hikikomoris often have a lot of issues, and Japan isn't the most stellar of countries when it comes to treating psychological issues. That's probably all I can help you with now. Her tone became bitter. I'm an infant now, and unlike you, Hiiro, I'm stuck as one for now. Hell, Elves grow more slowly than humans, so by the time the others are teens, I'll still be a pre-teen in appearance. I wish I could help you more.

"Hermione," Harry said. "Just by being here, you've helped me at least. A familiar face that I knew in life." He looked to Lily. "Sorry, Mum, but all the memories I had of you are you begging Voldemort to kill you instead of me, and I heard that every time a Dementor got too close."

Lily nodded, a little hurt, but conceding the point. "I only wish it were otherwise."

"But Hermione…you're helping me. And Hiiro too, because she now has a friendly face, well, voice, the first one in a long time, given what she went through. Just by knowing you're alive, that you survived the Department of Mysteries and all that came after…it helps me."

He also came to an epiphany, albeit one he didn't voice out loud. For all that Ariel was a decent person, at least as far as he could tell, she was still the Demon Lord, and had spoken casually of murdering people. True, she was no Voldemort. But he was still wary of her, and of Lily too, as he still couldn't be sure this was really his mother.

But he had Hermione. She had told him, not so long ago for him, and yet over a decade for her, that he had a saving people thing. He would protect her, whether it be under Ariel's aegis or not. The same for Hiiro. Her killing people in the Great Elroe Labyrinth aside, she was a teenaged girl, stuck in a monstrous form, and struggling to come to terms with her misadventures.

Hiiro didn't need protecting per se. She was certainly more powerful than Hermione, and Harry reckoned she was more powerful than him, even. But they were up against powerful enemies. If Ariel could be struck off the list, then that left at least three: Potimas, Pope Dustin, and, of course, D.

Before he or anyone else could say anything further, a large dog, outlined in light, cantered in. The mouth opened, and a familiar voice filled the air. "I…I don't know who this is, or how you did this. And yet…something about you is ringing some very insistent bells. Look, if you do come up here…no tricks. I'm only trusting you because you said I solemnly swear I'm up to no good. Just don't expect me to roll out the red carpet."

As the Patronus dissipated, Ariel grimaced. "Charming. So, I was thinking…I stay here with Hermione at least, and you go, Lily. I don't want Hermione in a dangerous situation, and you'd better break it gently to Sirius, assuming that was him, that you're working with me. Whether you go as well, Harry and Hiiro, is up to you, but keep in mind, if that is the Mystic Mountains, prepare for trouble."

And make it double? Hiiro asked, before cringing. Ugh, I shouldn't have watched the old dub of Pokémon. Seriously, I have no idea why I did that. Nai wa…

Lily, meanwhile, was beginning to use a spell of her own. "I'm doing a backtrace. It's tricky, but I should be able to do it. I've already got a rough location, Ariel, and you're right, it's the Mystic Mountains. Warming Charms are the order of the day, it seems. Harry, Hiiro, are you coming?"

"Yeah, I definitely am," Harry said.

And so am I, Hiiro said. If there's anything nasty waiting for us, you need some heavy-duty firepower. I can provide.

"Well, give me a minute or two, and then we'll head there," Lily said. "If nothing else, we can confirm Sirius is okay…"


Once Lily was done, Harry and Hiiro held onto her, before she brought them over with a flash of flame. Even with the Warming Charms, the cold hit them like a sledgehammer. However, they soon realised they were in more trouble, when they saw Agronatches surrounding a massive black dog. A massive black dog, the size of a bus…with a sword clutched in its mouth.

Okay, what the hell am I seeing here?! Hiiro yelped. Is that Greatwolf Sif's cousin?

"That's a Barghest," Lily said. "It seems Ariel was right, assuming that's Sirius. Hiiro, Harry, let's go help him."

Right. BANZAIII! Hiiro used threat to swing from tree to tree before pouncing onto one and biting into its neck. As the monster monkey collapsed, Hiiro spat out the meat. Ugh, nai wa…I forgot how crappy these things taste.

Between the pair of them, the Agronatches were soon demolished, save for one that was trying to sneak behind the Barghest and attack. But Hiiro fired off a thread, catching it on the torso, and roared, GET OVER HERE!, before yanking the Agronatch towards her. A spell disintegrated the monster monkey, and she cheered, TOASTYYY!

"…Did she just reference Scorpion from Mortal Kombat?" Harry asked flatly. He hadn't managed to do much during the battle, as both Lily and Hiiro had been faster than he was.

Suddenly, there was a screech from behind them, and a dozen of the damn things began emerging. Harry glared at them, before firing off Cutting Curses…that burst through them with ease, all but bisecting the monkey monsters. Harry was shocked, though not so shocked he stopped firing. But too many made it close.

Something instinctive surged through him, and with a roar that sounded more like something a dragon would emit, he slammed his hands onto the ground. Snow fountained into the air as spikes of rock impaled the remaining Agronatches, blood gouting from their mouths. He stared at them in shock.

Nai wa…Harry, did you seriously just emulate Araba there? Hiiro asked.

Whatever questions Harry had were wiped away when he heard a scream of pain behind him. He whirled to find someone where the massive dog had been, convulsing on the ground. A great gout of vomit sprayed from his mouth, steaming where it hit the snow. He rushed over to him.

The man looked like a younger version of Sirius, but with a pair of dog-like ears and a tail. He was dressed in a thick fur coat. The sword the Barghest had wielded was next to him. He gave one last convulsion, and then was still.

"…What happened?" Harry asked.

"…He saw me," Lily said. "Spoke my name, and then…when I recovered my memories, it wasn't like this. But…"

Padfoot! What did you do to him?!

This telepathic message didn't come from Hiiro. It was that of a teenaged boy's. The reptilian, vaguely hamster-like bipedal form was waddling out from hiding hurriedly. Hiiro, however, seemed to recognise the voice. …Kyouya? Is that you?

Huh? Who said that? The creature looked around, before settling on Hiiro. Wait…who are you?

It's me, Hiiro Wakaba! And…you're Kyouya Sasajima, aren't you? Well, you were, right?

After a moment, the reincarnation nodded. Yeah…that's who I was. Hiiro Wakaba, the Queen of Heishin? You're…more talkative than you used to be.

Lily came up to the reincarnation, and knelt. "Kyouya, right? I am Lily Evans. I…knew Padfoot, Sirius Black, in another life. Could you show us somewhere safe to take him? I think we need to have a long discussion."

After a moment, Kyouya nodded. Right. Padfoot has a cabin nearby. You'll have to carry him, though

CHAPTER 11 ANNOTATIONS:

Okay, so…it's been a little while since I updated this. I intended to do so sooner, but I was dissatisfied with the way the original version of the chapter turned out. Ariel and Hermione coming along into a dangerous situation didn't make sense, and I decided to have Sirius lacking most of his memories to make things a bit more dramatic.

In addition, I did sort of lose some interest in So I'm a Spider, So What?, and I was developing other stories, including my crossover with The Rising of the Shield Hero, which has since been published as Not Your Kind of People. However, once I start reading more of the light novels, maybe then I can write more of this. Hope this chapter was to your guys' liking. I'm also working on crossovers with other isekai series, specifically Arifureta and That Time I Was Reincarnated as a Slime. If those tickle your fancy, keep an eye out for them.

Also, DZ2, if you're reading this, thanks for citing this fic with your latest answer to your own 'Prodigal Son' challenge. I'm grateful. :)

Review-answering time! dragon-cloud16: Harems only work under the right circumstances, and usually in specific franchises like Sekirei or High School DxD. They're also tricky to write in general in terms of character interaction, and while I have no objection to writing them in certain cases, single pairings or threeway pairings are easier to justify and manage.

AznPuffyHair: How many Puppet Taratects? As many as in canon, in terms of those who get names and personalities. I think there's four in the novels. There are many others who die while attacking Kumoko, but we'll be focusing on the development of four here.

WearyCurmudgeon: James was not wholly Ignotus at the time, but he was getting there. So yes, it was actually cheating, but honestly, I feel canon James was a nasty piece of work. My James-bashing fics really only extrapolate from canon, from Snape's memory, and even while that is tainted by Snape's nastiness, it has more than a grain of truth, IMO.

Jostanos: As you saw above, Harry's abilities include some of Araba's, something I didn't have in the original version of the chapter, so he's beginning to show some power. As for when Hiiro will become an Arachne, I am not certain as to the when. Sorry.

No numbered annotations this time.