Chapter sixteen: acromantulas

"Everyone out of the car," Harry said, evenly. "Don't touch the web, whatever you do. Tread lightly, and move quickly."

The four of them vacated the car as hastily as they could while avoiding the web. Neville clutched the sack containing the skull to his chest. Mundungus pulled out his wand. "What's that stuff," the con man questioned warily.

"Acromantulas," said Harry, "giant spiders."

"Outstanding."

"I think it's an egg sack," James added. Harry saw his point; the web was draped over the trees at the edge of the clearing, thickly woven, as if it had fallen there.

"Well, as long as they don't hatch, we'll be fine," said Harry.

As if on cue, a jeep roared out of the jungle and plowed directly through the middle of the egg sack, shredding the web, the sticky white string stretching over it. The jeep skidded to a halt. Natasha Lestrange struggled out, tearing at the web clinging to her, followed by another Death Eater.

Mundungus pulled out his wand, pointing it, shakily, at the woman he had pretended to serve, his cover effectively blown. The Death Eater pointed his own wand at the group. Natasha herself pulled a slim black handgun from the waistband of her pants, and aimed it, two-handed, before her at the group. There was an audible click as the safety feature was retracted.

"Don't give up, do you?" Harry groaned.

"Would you," she said, with a knowing look. "Give us the skull."

"Would you?"

Natasha held the gun steady, fixing each of them in her sights. Which one to shoot? It seemed Mundungus had chosen his side, but the Death Eater beside her would go for him, he was the only one with a wand. As much as she hated to admit it, both Neville and Harry could be useful later on. That left the boy. Still feeling the sting form the cut on her cheek, she made her decision; she would enjoy watching him die.

Her finger tightened on the trigger, but she didn't fire, something stopped her. A pale white spider, covered in a sort of goo, crawled clumsily over the tip of the gun barrel. She watched, fascinated as it climbed onto her hands. The spider was obviously an infant, yet it was huge, the size of her palm. The spider peered up at her, its many eyes glinting in the sun. And then it sank its fangs deeply into her wrist.

Natasha screamed, as much in surprise as in pain. The gun went off, wildly. She snatched the spider from her wrist and crushed it in her fist, oddly colored goo squishing from between her fingers.

Natasha looked back to see more spiders, hundreds, thousands, millions, squirming their way out of the egg sack. The scrambled over the jeep, filling it. The Death Eater beside her screamed. Natasha leapt away as the infant spiders crawled over him, skittering up his legs into his clothing. Screaming the man fell heavily, the spiders crawling over him, biting him again and again.

"Run?" questioned James, staring in horror at the wave of spiders bursting form the sea of web.

"What do you think?" asked Harry, and turned on his hill. The four of them sprinted away. Natasha herself ran, crushing spiders under her feet, beating off the ones who climbed onto her. As the wave consolidated around her, she leapt, catching hold of a thick branch. She climbed, the ground beneath her invisible through the sea of white spiders. She crouched on the branch, and watched Harry and his companions race away, outdistancing the deadly babies. The Death Eater driver was nowhere to be seen, obviously dead; her hand was already numb from the venom of a single spider.

She only wished the same fate on Harry and his companions.

Harry pulled Neville behind him. As before, the professor of Herbology took no interest in the very real danger behind them. Over the spine tingling chitters of communication between the spiders, Harry heard the groan of an engine. He barely had time to pull the professor to the side, as a huge troop transport exploded out of the trees to scream across the clearing in front of them, slamming with a sickening crunch into a tree trunk. The hood crumpled around the trunk; smoke leaking from under the hood.

Harry felt a sinking feeling as he realized that the truck's roof had been sheared clean off, as if by a massive saw blade. The door was thrown open, and a large man emerged coughing. Antonin Dovchenko was bruised, his dark clothing torn, but, unlike Harry, he seemed no worse for the wear. Harry groaned as the large man strode confidently toward the four.

"It was nothing personal, back there,' Harry protested. "Can't we settle this like civilized wizards?" Dovchenko and Harry both simultaneously felt for their wands. Both of them found nothing.

"Or not," Harry mumbled. Dovchenko only grunted animally, and charged. He shoved Neville in the chest. Still clutching the bag holding the skull, Neville was lifted off his feet to slam onto his back.

"Dung, take James and run, get out of here," Harry shouted, as the massive Death Eater turned on him.

James protested, but Mundungus grabbed him by the arm, pulling him along. As the wave of spiders closed in on the combatants, James watched as Harry doubled over as a result of Dovchenko's opening blow.

"He can take care of himself," said Mundungus, halfheartedly.

The Death Eater's opening attack was an old-fashioned punch in the gut, which left Harry gasping for breath. Dovchenko tried a grab, but Harry dodged out of the way, and ducked under another swing. He wasn't sure how much more he could keep ducking.

Harry would have stood a chance against Dovchenko in a fair wizards duel. But in a muggle-like physical contest, he had no hope. Harry had found himself in this sort of situation before, but this time there was no airplane propeller to save him.

Time to even the odds, Harry rammed Dovchenko in the chest. The blow had no effect whatsoever, but it gave Harry time to duck down and grab a long piece of dead wood from the sandy ground.

Harry swung the stick, hitting Dovchenko in the shoulder, and then in the side. Finally, with all his strength, he slammed it down on the top of the Death Eater's head. The stick broke into pieces, but there was otherwise no effect. The man was a tank.

Dovchenko punched. Harry saw it coming, and gleaned only a glancing blow; it still spun his head around as he lost his balance. The Death Eater chopped at Harry's shoulders. As he fell to his knees, it felt as though all the bones in his arms had been broken.

Struggled to his feet, but by then Dovchenko was behind him. The Death Eater seized Harry from behind, lifting him off the ground, locking his head between the man's arms. Harry struggled, but Dovchenko tightened his grip, choking Harry. Through unfocused eyes, Harry watched the sea of infant acromantulas approaching. They would both be overrun.

Neville still lay on his back, where Dovchenko had shoved him. Now, he rolled over. He placed the brown bag in front of him, and removed the covering, leaving the crystal skull to stare down the army of spiders.

The sunlight reflected across the surface of the skull, as if something deep inside was swirling the surface. The spider's surged foreward, closer, closer, and then…they parted.

The sea of arachnids poured past on every side, leaving a ten-foot oval of bare ground, an island amidst a deadly sea. Harry was stunned. So was Dovchenko, and it gave him the opportunity to slip out of the man's chokehold. Gasping for breath, Harry retreated, and then turned to face the Death Eater.

Behind him, Neville took no notice of the combatants, or the deadly sea of newborn spiders. He had eyes only for the crystal skull, glinting in the light; it looked more than ever like it was smiling.

James and Mundungus skidded down a slope. At the bottom, the jungle opened out into the same sandy variety of ground where the egg sack had been. This proceeded some twenty yards, to a drop off. Thirty feet below, the river rushed past. The same river they were supposed to cross on the way to Akator.

"Now what," Mundungus grumbled, nearly eclipsing the now memorable roar of an engine.

"Get down," James shouted. Shoving Mundungus down in front of him, he hit the dirt. Ten or so powerful spells and jinxes shot over their heads, disappearing into the tree line. James scrambled to his feet, and began to run, pulling the con man behind him, as yet another vehicle burst out of the forest.

The open troop transport swerved around, until it drove alongside them. In the back, twelve Death Eaters shouting illegibly, brandished their wands. Mundungus shot a stunner at the group, but it was deflected easily. As the Death Eaters prepared to unleash another broadside of spells on the helpless pair, another a battered gray vehicle exploded out into the clearing. The duck's hull was burned and pitted, its seats shredded, its windshield nonexistent, and sitting at the wheel, none other than Ginny Weasley.

The duck rammed into the troop transport with all its momentum. The truck almost tipped over, as more than one Death Eater was thrown from the back. Ginny urged the pair to get on. James vaulted over the side, and hauled Mundungus in after him. "He's with us now," he said in explanation.

Ginny pulled the duck around in a tight u-turn. Curses flung by the enraged Death Eater's shot over their heads, and gouged into its already damaged hull.

"That's a cliff," Mundungus warned.

"I hadn't noticed," said Ginny. To James, "Let's go get your father."

"He told us to leave him," Mundungus protested.

"So?" mother and son shared a knowing look.

"So, we're going to go back and save him anyway," said Mundungus with a sinking feeling.

"Now you're getting it," Ginny grinned, revving the engine as the hurtled back up the slope.

Harry punched Dovchenko in the jaw as hard as he could. The Death Eater shrugged off the blow, but Harry didn't bruise his fingers this time, so he considered the move effective.

Dovchenko retaliated with a punch of his own that sent Harry reeling. Dovchenko grabbed Harry and flipped him onto his back. Harry slammed into the ground, inches away from the spiders, so close he could pick out their individual moving legs.

Harry was breathless, but he had no time to rest, as Dovchenko plowed his boot into Harry's chest, bruising his ribs. Harry kicked back, driving his heel into the man's groin. Dovchenko stepped back, surprised, giving Harry enough time to roll to his feet.

It was time to finesh this fight. Harry picked Dovchenko's face as his target, it seemed to most vulnerable part. With all his strength, he punched Dovchenko square in the face. And then he did it again, and again. The Death Eater made no move to block; he simply stood there and took it. Harry pushed this advantage, by driving his elbow into Dovchenko's gut. It was like hitting a brick wall. Harry stumbled back.

Dovchenko spat, once, emptying his mouth of saliva and, Harry was pleased to note, blood. Then, with a glare that neatly stated 'my turn', the Death Eater lunged foreward.

Harry wasn't sure quite what happened next. Whether he planned the move, or he simply collapsed from exhaustion, he didn't know. Only that he was standing, and the next second was on his knees, ducking below Dovchenko's grab. His shoulder plowed into the man's legs. Antonin Dovchenko stumbled over Harry Potter and landed, face first, in the sea of spiders.

He screamed, an agonizing scream, as the arachnids covered him, filling his clothing, his mouth, his nose, burrowing into the warm recesses of his body. They sank their fangs into him, biting him all over, again and again. And only then, as the venom overrode his system, shutting him down from the inside out. On a whole, the spiders began to drag their newfound meal back toward the egg sack, all the while wrapping him with thin strands of silk.

Harry looked away, feeling rather sick. Dovchenko was dead, or soon to be so, but their situation had not overly improved. He and Neville were still trapped, protected by only by a rock thousands of years old.

And then he saw the duck. It plowed through the spiders, crushing them under its tires, spraying them into the air, moving too quickly to be overrun. It sped directly toward Harry and Neville, not slowing. Harry braced himself, and as it rushed past he seized Neville, who still clutched the skull, and hurled him into the back of the duck. Harry jumped after him, and James and Mundungus pulled him in.

The duck plunged back down the hill. Harry realized it was Ginny at the wheel. "Good to see you again, sweetheart," he shouted over the roar of the engine.

"I'm sure it is."

The duck rattled as it plunged down the gap. The spiders had reached the lower clearing. They passed the truck of Death Eaters, who were franticly fighting off the arachnids, and making headway with use of magical flame. He wondered vaguely where Natasha had gone. That she had shared Dovchenko's fate was too much to hope for.

"So, we going back into the jungle, or are we going of the cliff?" Harry asked Ginny, though he already knew the answer.

"What do you think?" she said, smirking.

The duck roared off the cliff.