The three of them stared at each other in uncomfortable silence. Only the clunking of Hagrid's cups and cutlery in the sink could be heard. Natsu gave an awkward cough and sniffled. He looked away from Ron and Harry, rubbing his hands together. "So uh…" Natsu started. Ron and Harry leapt off their chairs, the wood scraping the floor.

"What are you doing here?!"

"I thought you were suspended for another four months!"

"When did you get here?!"

"Why are you here?!"

Natsu felt his back tilting against the chair, being overwhelmed by all the questions. But to be fair, Natsu would probably act the same way. "W-Well, Dumbledore raised my suspension last week. Just got back today. I was advised to come to Hagrid the moment I got back, so here I am." Natsu explained, raising his hands up in defence. "But what about-"

"Now now boys, Mister Dragneel has had a long day. Why don't we relax with a hot cup of tea?" Hagrid offered, setting down cups on the table. "Anyway, why are you guys down here?" Natsu asked. Ron and Harry looked at each other, eyes opened wide. "We uh…." They stuttered. "And where's Hermione? I thought she'd be with you as well." Natsu noticed, looking behind them. Harry and Ron shut their mouths and looked down in disgrace. "Hermione's…been petrified…." Ron admitted, closing his eyes in anger and sadness.

"What….?" Natsu gasped. "When…?" He gritted. "WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?!" Natsu demanded, standing up fist clenched. "Earlier today… near the library." Harry informed him. "Who did it…?" Natsu whispered. "WHO?!" He yelled. "W-We still don't know." Harry continued. "Everyone's paranoid. Now all students have to be back to the Common Rooms by 6:00 and everyone has to be accompanied by a teacher to every class." Ron explained. Natsu gritted his teeth and marched towards the door. "Natsu…?" Harry asked, watching him march towards the door. "I'm gonna find who did this and make them pay for what they did to her!" He grilled. "I'm with you Natsu." Happy said, flying on his shoulder.

"Natsu! We don't know who it is! Not to mention you just came back." Ron reasoned, standing up behind him. Natsu opened the door with a bang, not listening to Ron's words. Suddenly, a firm grasp held Natsu's arm back, stopping him from leaving. "Natsu, Ron's right. It will just be one big goose chase." Harry told him, his hand still grasping on his arm. Natsu stayed silent, not looking back at Harry. Happy looked at Harry, then at Natsu. He could see the hurt and familiarity in his dear friend's face.

Natsu gave a silent sigh, and jerked his arm out of Harry's hand and turned around and headed back inside, softly closed Hagrid's door. "Trust us. We want to catch whoever's doing this as soon as possible. Speaking of which…." Harry turned to Hagrid, giving him a stern eye. His hand was shaking, and he overflowed the tea as if in a daze. "Hagrid, are you alright?" Harry asked, looking at Hagrid. "I'm fine. I'm all right." Hagrid comforted, placing the kettle down with a thud. "Um… we have to ask you something…" Harry admitted. He suddenly stopped himself and looked at Natsu. He then sighed and looked back at Hagrid.

"Do you know who opened up the Chamber of Secrets?" Natsu's eyes widened, and stepped forward. "Hagrid….?" Natsu asked, looking at him. "You were there fifty years ago weren't you…?" He asked, as if it just clicked. Hagrid gave a sigh, and pointed at the boys. "Now what you have to understand here is-"

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Heavy blows on the door boomed, Fang barking in the distance. "Crap!" Natsu tisked. "We're so busted!" Ron whimpered. "Not if I can help it!" Harry told them, holding up his invisibility cloak. "Under the cloak. The three of you! Don't say a word." Hagrid commanded them. The boys ran in front of the fireplace and flicked the cape over themselves.

"Ah, Professor Dumbledore sir."

"Good evening Hagrid. I was wondering, could we…?"

"Ah of course. Come in. Come in."

Natsu sniffed the air as Dumbledore stepped in. He could smell it. That there were definitely more people than the Headmaster here. "That's dad's boss. Cornelius Fudge. Minister of Magic." Ron whispered to Harry and Natsu. Natsu watched Cornelius, with an untrusting look in his eye.

"Bad business, Hagrid. Very bad business, had to come…. Three attacks on Muggle-borns, the Ministry's got to act."

"But I never- Professor Dumbledore knows that I would never!" Hagrid defended. "I want it understood, Cornelius. That Hagrid has my full confidence." Dumbledore explained, defending his dear friend. "Albus, look. Hagrid's record is against him. I've got to take him."

"Take me?"

"Take him?" The three boys whispered together in confusion.

"Take me where? Not Azkaban Prison?!"

"I'm afraid we have no choice Hagrid…" Cornelius said, shaking his head.

The three boys looked at each other, not knowing what was going on.

"Already here Fudge?" A new voice asked. Everyone turned to the door as it slowly opened. "Good." At the door was none other than Draco's uncomfortable father Lucius.

"What are you doing here? Get out of my house!"

"Believe me, I take absolutely no pleasure being inside your….." Lucius wandered over to where the boys were standing, the three of them trying their best to coordinate with each other to get out of the way. Lucius stopped, still unaware they were being watched by three school boys. "You call this a house?" Lucius scoffed. "No. I simply called up the school and was told the Headmaster was here." He continued, looking at Dumbledore.

"And what is it exactly that you want with me?" Dumbledore asked.

"The other governors and I have decided it's time for you to step aside." Lucius told him with a straight face. "This is an order of suspension." Lucius pulled out a scroll from his cloak, tied with a ribbon and wax seal. "You'll find all twelve signatures on it." Dumbledore looked at the scroll, then back at Lucius, who had no emotion in his gray eyes. "I'm afraid we feel you've rather lost your touch. Well, what, with all these attacks, there'll be no Muggle- ornes left at Hogwarts." Lucius turned around, facing the direction of the boys again. "I can only imagine what an awful loss that would be to the school…" He said in a dark, slithery tone, jerking a slight smile.

Natsu softly growled, sick of this low life germ.

"You can't take Professor Dumbledore away. You take him away and the Muggle-borns won't stand a chance! There'll be killings next!"

"You think so?" Lucius asked with a scoff.

"Calm yourself Hagrid. If the governors desire my removal, I will of course step aside. However, you will find at Hogwarts that help will come..." Dumbledore stepped forward to face Lucius. "To those who ask for it." He gave a subtle look to the boys hidden underneath the cloak. Harry and Ron looked at him in surprise, not believing that he knew they were there. Natsu, on the other hand, gave Dumbledore a small nod. In which case, Dumbledore gave a small nod back. Natsu finally understood. Dumbledore knew this was going to happen, and he needed to make sure someone would watch over the school while he and Hagrid were gone.

Lucius turned around, wondering what the old kook had been looking at. He then looked back to his old Headmaster. "Admirable sentiments…" He whispered. "Shall we?" Lucius gestured towards the wooden door, letting Dumbledore go first. The boys watched as one by one the men left. "Come Hagrid." Fudge commanded. "Well?"

Hagrid cleared his throat. "Well… If anybody was looking for some stuff…. Just uh… follow the spiders.." Ron's stomach suddenly began to sank. His eyes filled with horror. "Yep. That would lead them right. "That's all I have to say." And with that, Hagrid left for Azkaban. But before he stepped out the door, he then began to say that someone would need to look after Fang while he was gone.

Fudge looked back inside the hut, wondering what Hagrid was blabbering about. He then shook it off and left behind Hagrid, closing the door behind him. Once the men left, the boys flung the cloak off themselves. "I can't STAND that snobbish slimy jerk!" Natsu screamed. "I tell ya, if I weren't a student here I'd slam him into the ground by now!" He sneered.

"In any case, Dumbledore's right. With Dumbledore gone, there'll be an attack a day." Ron said, looking between Natsu and Harry. "Look…" Harry pointed at the nearest window sill. There on the sill were tiny black dots crawling outside the window. "Come on." Harry prompted, picking up a lantern and headed outside, Ron and Natsu following tightly behind. "Come on Fang."

Harry lifted the lantern to the window, watching the spiders crawl from the window into the Dark Forest. "W-Were not going in there are we….?" Happy shivered. "We have to. You heard Hagrid. Follow the spiders." Harry explained. "B-But they're heading into the Dark Forest!" Ron stuttered. "So?" Natsu shrugged. "We're not allowed in there!" Ron argued, gesturing to the forest. "Come on, we've all been in there before. We won't get caught." Natsu said, rolling up his sleeves. "Come on, let's go." Harry agreed, leading on with the lantern. "Why did it have to be spiders? Why couldn't it be butterflies?" Ron whined.

The five of them walked through the dark grim forest, looking around to be on their guard. Fang took the front, sniffing for any enemies. Happy rested on Natsu's shoulder, looking around, while the three boys kept on walking forward. "Wait." Natsu held his hand out in front of Ron and Harry. "There's something here. Listen." Natsu pointed to the direction of the sound. "Yeah I hear it too…. Sounds like something big." Harry noticed. "Big?!" Happy and Ron repeated. Suddenly lights flashed in their faces, a sound like a car engine reved.

"Harry, Natsu! Look it's the car!" Ron pointed out. They all stepped forward, observing the car. "Must've been here all this time. Look, the forest has turned it wild." Ron stated, observing the grass and greens growing from the engine. The car turned off its lights, before it going silent again. "Come on, we don't want to lose the trail." Harry prompted, leading on.

A few minutes passed, the forest getting darker and colder. "Harry I don't like this…" Ron whimpered. "I don't like this at all!" He squeezed, his voice cracking. "Shush!" Harry hissed. "No Ron's right…. Something is definitely out of place here…." Natsu agreed, looking around. They finally reached a fallen tree, forming some sort of tiny entrance. Just big enough for thirteen year olds to fit through. The only problem. There were hundreds of spiders crawling everywhere inside. "Can we go now?" Ron pleaded. "Come on." Harry said, ducking on through. Ron stepped through, visibly shaking. There were spiders crawling on the ceiling, floor and wall. Luckily Ron didn't look behind him, as a huge spider hung down after them.

The boys finally exited the tunnel, walking into a big space. The spiders began to huddle, and go over a hill. But for some reason the boys didn't follow them. It was like a force was telling them not to go there. A thud echoed through the forest, as if a tree fell down.

"Who is it….?" An airy whisper called out. "Don't panic…." Natsu told Ron and Harry, as he held his wand, taking a fighting stance. "Hagrid…?" The voice called out."Is that you?" The voice asked. "W-We're friends of Hagrid's!" Harry called out. A thin hairy leg poked over the hill, the sound of heavy creaking. Dark black eyes peeped over the hill, hairy fangs opening and closing slowly. There emerged the largest spider that Harry, Natsu, and Ron had ever seen in their lives. "Oh boy…" Happy shook, his tiny body shaking. Ron's face began to slowly go from shaking, to pure terror. Natsu's face became more twisted with determination, as he had a bad feeling about what was standing in front of them.

"You… You're Aragog, aren't you…?" Harry asked. "Yes…" The spider replied, looking at them with his pitch black eyes. "Wait, you know him?" Natsu asked, pointing at the spider. "Kind of… he was there fifty years ago, when the chamber was first opened." Harry explained. "Hagrid has never sent men into our hollow before…" Aragog carried on. "He's in trouble. Up at the school, there have been attacks." Harry explained.

Ron and Natsu looked around as Harry continued to talk to Aragog. Spiders the size of toddlers crawled around above them, as if waiting for something. "They think it's Hagrid. They think he opened the Chamber of Secrets. Like before." Harry explained. "That's a lie!" Aragog hissed, not happy with what he heard. "Hagrid never opened the Chamber of Secrets." He gasped. "So do you know who did?" Natsu asked, still high on guard. "The monster responsible was born in the castle. I merely rode in the pocket of a traveler from a distant land before I came to Hagrid."

"Harry…" Ron whispered, shaking his arm. "Shush." Harry commanded, Ron going back to his paniced state. "Then if you're not the monster, then what did kill that girl fifty years ago?" Harry asked. "We do not speak of it! It is an ancient creature we spiders fear above all others…" Aragog told them. "Is it a big fishy?" Happy asked, still clawing to his best friend's clothes. "I said we do not speak of it!" Aragog repeated, more aggressively. Happy immediately shut his mouth and said nothing more. "Have you seen it then?" Natsu asked. "I never saw any part of the castle but the box in which Hagrid kept me…"

Ron looked up, hundreds of spiders slowly descending upon them. "The girl was discovered in a bathroom. When I was accused, Hagrid brought me here." Ron began to whimper and shook Harry's arm one more time "Harry!" He whispered. "What?" Harry snapped. Ron pointed up, Natsu and Harry following his finger. Once they say what Ron saw, they both looked at Aragog. "Well, thank you." Harry said very politely, trying to somewhat show Aragog they meant no harm. Fang began to whimper as well as all the spiders gathered around the boys.

"W-We'll just go…" Harry said, the three of them slowly backing away. "Go?" Aragog repeated, Ron nodding up and down. "I think not… 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…" Aragog said, slyly. "Some friend you are! Hagrid isn't going to forgive you for this!" Natsu yelled at him, taking a fighting stance. "Oh I think he will… Goodbye… friends of Hagrid…"

"Can we panic now…?" Ron squeemed.

THUD!

"Ah!" The three boys jolted, as a spider jumped at them. Harry managed to fend him off by whacking a lantern into the spider, flinging it to the side. "What do we do?!" Ron asked, panicking. "We gotta get out of here!" Natsu yelled, kicking and punching the spiders that attempted to leap on him. "Yeah but how?!" Ron yelled back. The spiders began to surround them, the two boys pulling out their wands, Natsu sticking with his fists. "You know any spells?" Ron asked. "One, but it's not powerful for all of them." Harry told them. The spiders drew closer and closer. It was surely the doom for them.

HONK HONK!

The three looked behind them, bright lights glaring at them. "The car!" Harry yelled out. The spiders scrambled back in shock, and the doors flung open. "Come on!" Ron called, he and Harry running for it. The two got into the car, realising Natsu wasn't with them. "Natsu! Let's go!" Harry called out. "You go on ahead! I'll try to hold them back!" Natsu called out. "We can't leave you here! There's too many of them!" Ron argued. "I'll be fine I swear! Now go!" Natsu begged. The car automatically locked its doors, just in time as the spiders began to pile on it. "Go!" Natsu told the car, as it began to drive away.

Once the car was gone, most of the spiders began to focus their attention to Natsu, while a few of them went after the car. "Alright. Who's first?" Natsu grinned, cracking his knuckles. As he did, his flame ignited. The spiders began to scurry back at this new magic. "How… What magic is this…?!" Aragog demanded. "What's wrong? Thought you wanted to eat me?" Natsu snarked. "So what's wrong?"

Silence for a bit, until the first spider attempted to kill him. Natsu screamed with fury as he upper cut the spider. One by one the spiders advanced in an attempt to kill Natsu. One by one he defeated each one, his feet and fists inflamed. Punch, dodge, flip, kick. But they were still coming in with no end. One spider managed to leap onto him, and tried to snap at his face. Natsu managed to hold it back by holding its front fangs back. "Guhhhhh! Gah!" Natsu headbutted the spider, and kicked it under its upper body, flames helping his kick fling the spider back. "Happy!" Natsu yelled. "Aye sir!" Happy grabbed Natsu's back and spread his wings lifting him up into the air.

Natsu took a breath in, his stomach expanding. "Fire Dragon….ROAAAAAAR!" Natsu's mouth released an orange fire, one by one the spiders began to fall. He then lifted his head and began to burn the webs above them. "You…. What are you…!?" Aragog demanded. "Me?" Natsu rolled up his sleeve, revealing his Fairy Tail enigma. "I'm a mage from Fairy Tail! And if you mess with my friends, you mess with me!" He yelled. "Fire Dragon…." Happy flew towards Aragog, Natsu's fists igniting in a bright orange ball. "IRON FIST!" Natsu punched the giant spider, causing Aragog to fling back, tumbling far away. The spiders burnt by the attack began to twitch, trying to get up. Natsu looked at the spiders who were down for the count. "Sorry, but you're gonna have to get your meal somewhere else. Let's go" Natsu said coldly. "Aye sir!" Happy chanted, flying up.

"Huh? Natsu look out!" Happy called. "Yeah I see it buddy!" Natsu confirmed. Spiders began to drop down, baring their fangs at them. Happy flew left and right, dodging the spiders flying down. Those that Happy couldn't dodge Natsu punched and kicked the spiders away. "Up there!" Natsu pointed, seeing leaves and branches. "Hold on buddy!" Natsu warned, protecting his face from the branches and leaves.

Happy and Natsu could feel the branches scratching their faces, arms, and backs. "Almost there…" Natsu said, as he could see the moon. A breath of fresh air and space around them was finally met. They were out. Natsu looked down, seeing a bit of smoke from the little fire he caused. "Natsu…."

"Yeah buddy?" Natsu asked, looking back at Happy. He was shaking, and his eyes were pure white. "Let's not go back there…." He pleaded. "Don't worry, we won't." Natsu promised. "Come on, let's go find Harry and Ron." Natsu told Happy. "Aye!" Happy chanted, flying towards the castle.

"Follow the spiders! Follow the spiders! When Hagrid comes out of Azkaban I'll kill him!" Ron ranted. Harry wasn't listening though. He was too concentrated on leaving Natsu behind. "Ugh we shouldn't have left Natsu there! There was too many of them!" Harry argued. "I'm going back in!" Harry decided, going to Hagrid's house to grab a weapon of some sort. "Hey guys!" A call from above said cheerfully. The boys looked up, and smiled, relieved that Natsu was ok. "Natsu!" Ron called out happily, waving at them. Both of them flew down, Natsu landing gracefully on the ground in front of Harry and Ron.

"What happened? How did you escape them all?" Harry asked. "I have my ways." Natsu smiled, cracking his neck. "Ugh, I'm not going back there. What did we even learn from that…?" Ron asked. "Well we do know one thing." Harry said. "And what's that?" Natsu asked, folding his arms. "Hagrid wasn't the one who opened the Chamber fifty years ago." Harry deduced.

"Then who…?" Ron asked, looking at the woods. "That's what we're going to find out. Sooner or later." Harry said. "And we will."