Chapter Twelve: Acromantula Annoyance
"Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will let it pass over me and through me, and when it has passed I will turn and look down the path where fear has passed, and there will be nothing. Only I will remain."
-Frank Herbert, Dune
It wasn't until a week later that Harry and Ron finally got to "follow the spiders". Harry left Silas in his dormitory to avoid having the snake scare off the insects, but decided to bring Padfoot along. There was no knowing where the spiders might lead them. If the dog-man planned to try something, he'd mostly do it away from prying eyes. Harry would have to keep alert, but distance from the castle could give him more accurate information about the man's motives, which could work to his advantage.
Harry, Ron, and Padfoot followed the small trail of spiders in silence until they reached the edge of the forbidden forest.
"The Forbidden Forest?" Ron exclaimed, looking horrified.
"We have to find out whatever we can." Harry said more assuredly than he felt. All his past experience, all his instincts, told him to turn back, but somehow he felt that he needed to face whatever lived within, find out what he could. "Are you coming with me, or not?"
Padfoot barked and inched closer to Harry. Ron paused for a moment, staring into the dark forest, and then answered:
"I'm coming."
They began walking through the forest after the spiders, wands lit. It grew darker and denser and they walked deeper and deeper in.
Up ahead, Harry began to hear soft clicking sounds, and the sounds of many creatures moving around. Concentrating, he could sense things everywhere- the whole forest was alive.
Then a strange, clicking voice up from somewhere a ways in front of them called, "Hagrid? Is that you?"
"We are friends of Hagrid," Harry answered, "he's in trouble-"
"Why has Hagrid sent you?" said the creature in front of them, which had moved towards them so that Harry could now see it- a huge black spider- an acromantula. A gigantic black spider with a poisonous bite and a tendency towards violence…
"Well he didn't, exactly-" began Ron. Harry was tempted to hex him, but instead simply interrupted and tried to repair the damage.
"People from the ministry have taken Hagrid away; they think he's responsible for attacks on students by a creature in the school. We came to find out the truth."
"Of course Hagrid never opened the chamber. But last time he got blamed for it, after a girl was found dead in a bathroom. They thought I was the monster."
"What is it really?" asked Harry, curious as to how the spider would respond.
"We do not speak its name!" Joy. Yep, it's definitely the basilisk, then…
"Right," muttered Ron nervously, "we'll just be going, then…"
"Going?" clicked the spider. "I do not eat humans out of respect for Hagrid, but I cannot deny my children fresh meat when it wanders so willingly into our midst."
Moments later, the spiders were closing in. Harry floated above them, firing spells as fast as he could. Unfortunately, the huge spiders' thick hides were proving to be irritatingly resilient. So far itching spells directed at their eyes had proved more affective than stunning charms, despite that they only caused the spiders to be confused and delayed. Harry though their bellies might be more vulnerable, but aiming spells at their undersides would require one to be low enough that they could reach you. Looking down, Harry saw that he would have to be floating to the ground soon anyway. Ron had just had his wand knocked from his hand by one of the spiders, which was now lunging at the redhead-
But a moment later there was a ring of fire separating them from the spiders, and Padfoot had been replaced by the tall, ragged figure of a man who was now holding Ron's wand and helping the boy to his feet.
"You alright there, Ron? And Harry? Harry?" the man's voice was gruff and hoarse from lack of use. He whirled around frantically, trying to locate Harry.
"Right here," answered Harry, lowering himself so that he was floating, cross-legged, at eye level, "I'd had to come down to get Ronald, but you seem to have done that for me."
The man, obviously Sirius Black, though he was in a bit better health than in the newspaper pictures, probably because of the time he'd spent as Harry's pet, just stared up at him in surprise. Ronald seemed to be in shock, and was staring around wild-eyed.
"So," Harry continued when no one else said anything, "I think we'd best come up with a plan for getting out of here. I could probably levitate one of you while floating myself, but I'm not sure I can manage both, and it would probably be extremely awkward anyway. Anyone else have some ideas?"
"Accio!" shouted Black abruptly. "Brooms," he explained, "they should be here soon."
"Good. You'll have to teach me some of those spells sometime."
"Uh, Harry? Don't you know who that is?" Ron asked weakly.
"Yes."
Ron stared at him.
"You're completely barmy!"
"So you'd rather stick around and have a party with the spiders."
"…no…."
Three brooms came into sight, flying towards them. School brooms, so not particularly good ones, but they'd suit the purpose.
"Right then, come on." Both of his companions were still staring at him oddly, but they followed his example and grabbed a broom, and soon the three of them were flying high above the spiders and the trees, in the direction of Hogwarts. They landed at the edge of the forest, and Padfoot Black banished the brooms.
It was then that Ron noticed a rustle in the grass, reached down, and picked up a scrawny gray rat.
"Ron?" Harry asked; eyebrows raised.
"What? Come on, unlike you, I don't have a pet!"
The rat was struggling wildly, and Black was staring at it with an eerie intensity.
"Stupefy." Harry muttered, waving his wand at the rat. "That'll make it easier to transport him," he explained to Ron.
Then Black spoke up again. "Both of you come with me, now."
"Alright." Harry agreed.
"What?" exclaimed Ron.
"As he's been rather helpful in preserving our lives so far, I'm rather inclined to listen to him, for the moment, at least."
They set off across the Hogwarts lawn, Black now in dog-form, and Ron reluctantly followed.
A/N: So we're gradually getting somewhere. What do you think? Comments, questions, opinions?
Many thanks to:
Shadow Lighthawk, ZWngDragon, Nights Silhouette, albert87, thsunami, azntgr01, jbfritz, Lurk, firmin, NamelessHeretic, Shiruba Fokkusu, Batsutousai, tinkita, steffles24, 5HAD0W, Mee Yah, frodobeutlin, The Sleeping Creature, FroBoy,
Aqua Mage, MarauderinglyMagical, bandgeeke, GoddessMoonLady,