Chapter 18
After their conversation in the library, the boys make their way back to the Slytherin common room in silence, the weight of the situation weighing heavily upon them. When they reach their destination and enter the room, they notice that the Slytherin student body is gathered in the common area. Their Head of House is standing at the front of the room, and he turns toward them as they appear in the doorway.
"Good of you to join us." Snape drawls gesturing for them to join the other students with a jerk of his head.
"Sorry, sir." They apologize simultaneously, shuffling over to their fellow Slytherins. The room grows silent as the group waits patiently for Snape to start his announcement.
"By now, I'm sure you are all aware that there has been another attack. Because of this, the Headmaster has decided to put new rules into place, effective immediately." Snape unfolds a piece of parchment and holds it up in front of him so he can read it. "All students will return to their house common rooms by six o'clock every evening. All students will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. No exceptions." Once Snape finishes reading, he looks up, surveying his students. His gaze is unusually expressive, imploring and intense. The man is worried, that much is obvious, and Harry feels guilty, knowing that he and his friends have no intention of following at least one of these new rules. They need to speak with Hagrid as soon as possible, even if it means going against Severus' wishes.
"I should tell you this: unless the culprit behind these attacks is apprehended, it is likely the school will be closed." Snape pauses for a moment to allow his words to sink in. "That will be all." Snape finally says, dismissing them and sweeping from the room, leaving his snakes to their own devices.
Once their Head of House departs, the room breaks out into hushed conversation as the Slytherins discuss the new information they've been presented with. The group slowly breaks apart and the atmosphere of the common room, though still somewhat tense, returns to normal.
Harry, Draco, Blaise, and Theo share a serious look before retreating to their dormitory. They have a plan. Now all they have to do is wait.
It's much later in the night before the boys get ready to leave for Hagrid's hut. Drace, Blaise, and Theo gather near the door as Harry rummages around in his trunk, searching for his invisibility cloak.
"Are you sure we'll all fit under the cloak?" Draco asks idly.
"No idea. But I guess we'll find out." Harry says as he pulls the cloak out from the bottom of his trunk. He unfolds it and wraps it around his shoulders, grinning. "How do I look?" Harry gives them a spin. The fact that all they can see is Harry's head turning on its axis is unnerving.
"Well, that's unsettling." Theo comments, chuckling softly. Harry laughs and removes the cloak from his body before walking over to his friends.
"Come on. Let's see if this works." Harry says, prompting Draco, Blaise, and Theo to huddle around him. Harry drapes the cloak over their bodies, and surprisingly, they all fit underneath it, if only barely. "Let's go."
Luckily, they reach Hagrid's hut without incident, and they now find themselves standing outside the door, waiting for Hagrid to open it. They don't have to wait long before the door opens, revealing Hagrid, who is holding a crossbow in his hands, pointing it at the seemingly empty doorway.
"Hello?" Hagrid calls out before Harry removes the invisibility cloak from himself and his companions. Hagrid's expression is both surprised and relieved at the sight of the boys, and Harry wonders if something is troubling the half-giant.
"What's that for?" Harry questions, referring to the crossbow, that is now hanging limply at Hagrid's side.
"Oh, nothing. I- I was expecting… It doesn't matter, come on in. I just made a pot o' tea." Hagrid says, stepping aside to allow Harry, Draco, Blaise, and Theo entrance into his home.
Once the door is closed, Hagrid moves across the room to grab cups for the tea, his movements jerky and anxious. The man keeps glancing at the door, even as he's pouring the tea, and Harry can't help but ask if something's wrong.
"Hagrid, are you okay?"
"I'm fine!" Hagrid exclaims, much too quickly for it to be the truth. "I'm alright." He assures, this time more subdued. Harry can tell he's lying, but he chooses not to pry any further, realizing that Hagrid is not going to answer his question truthfully.
"Did you hear about Hermione?" Draco asks, trying to ease the awkward atmosphere that has descended upon the room.
"Oh, yeah. I heard about that all righ'." Hagrid says morosely. The room lapses into silence once more, making Harry squirm in discomfort. Finally, Harry decides that enough is enough. This conversation isn't going to get any easier, so he might as well get it over with.
"Look, we have to ask you something. Do you know who's opened the Chamber of Secrets?"
Hagrid sighs, setting down his teacup as he prepares to explain. "What you have to understand about that is-"
The half-giant is interrupted by a harsh knock at the door. Everyone in the room jumps at the sudden noise and turns toward the door. Hagrid jumps up, looking at Harry, Draco, Blaise, and Theo in a panic. "Quick, under the cloak. Don't say a word."
The half-giant is interrupted by a harsh knock at the door. Everyone in the room jumps as the sudden noise and turns toward the door. Hagrid jumps up, looking at Harry, Draco, Blaise, and Theo in a panic. "Quick, under the cloak. Don't say a word."
The boys quickly oblige Hagrid's request, rushing to gather in the corner. Harry flings the invisibility cloak over them and adjusts it so it covers their bodies completely. Satisfied that the boys are hidden from sight, Hagrid moves to open the door.
"Professor Dumbledore, sir!" Hagrid greets, cheerful as ever. Though his tone contains a hint of mournful resignation, something that Harry just barely picks up on. Dumbledore is obviously who Hagrid has been expecting, but Harry can't seem to figure out why a visit from the Headmaster would warrant such emotion from the half-giant.
"Good evening, Hagrid. I wonder, could we…?"
"Of course! Come in!" Hagrid ushers Dumbledore inside, revealing the figure of another man that had been standing behind him.
'What's the Minister of Magic doing here?' Harry wonders, panic beginning to set in as he assess the possibilities.
Cornelius Fudge follows Dumbledore through the door, and Hagrid shuts it behind him before turning to face the two men.
"Bad business, Hagrid. Very bad business. Had to come - Three attacks on Muggle-borns. Things have gone far enough. The Ministry's got to act." Fudge explains, his tone dire. Hagrid's eyes widen as he looks back and forth between Fudge and Dumbledore.
"Oh, but I never- You know I never, Professor!" Hagrid tries to defend himself. His words are desperate and pleading as he locks eyes with Dumbledore, begging for the Headmaster to support his claim.
Dumbledore looks over at Fudge as he speaks. "I want it understood, Cornelius, that Hagrid has my full confidence." Dumbledore says vaguely, making Harry grit his teeth as he suppresses a growl. Is that the best he can do? Surely Dumbledore has something more convincing to say on the matter. However, Dumbledore does not continue to speak, instead allowing Fudge to respond.
"Albus, look, Hagrid's record is against him. I've got to take him."
Suddenly, Hagrid's expression morphs from one of resignation to absolute panic. It seems that this encounter has taken a turn for the worst, one that Hagrid had not been expecting.
"Take me? Take me where? Not Azkaban Prison?" Hagrid stutters out, the panic clear in his tone. Fudge meets Hagrid's gaze, and Harry notices that he at least has the decency to look apologetic.
"I'm afraid we have no choice, Hagrid."
Before Hagrid can formulate a reply, the door to the hut swings open, revealing Lucius Malfoy standing on the other side. Draco and Harry barely suppress gasps of surprise at the sudden appearance of Draco's father.
"Already here, Fudge? Good…" Lucius says, entering and nodding at Fudge and Dumbledore.
Hagrid's expression is one of outrage as he fixes Lucius with a scathing glare. "What're you doin' here? Get outta my house!" Hagrid seethes, his fists clenched at his sides.
Lucius scoffs. "Believe me, I take absolutely no pleasure in being here. I simply called at the school and was told the Headmaster was here." The look that Lucius gives Dumbledore is filled with intense hatred and loathing, and seeing such unveiled emotion coming from Lucius surprises Harry immensely.
"Well, what exactly is it that you want with me?" Dumbledore inquires curiously, though Harry suspects he knows exactly why Lucius is here.
"The other Governors and I have decided it's time for you to step aside. This is an order of suspension. You'll find all twelve signatures on it." Lucius holds out a rolled-up piece of parchment for Dumbledore to take. "I'm afraid we feel you've rather lost your touch. Well, what, with all these attacks, there will be no Muggle-borns left at Hogwarts. Not to mention that little scandal you were involved in last year. I'm sure you remember, don't you?" Lucius says the last part of his speech scathingly as he glares at Dumbledore, who winces almost imperceptibly at the memory.
"Yeh can' take Professor Dumbledore away. Take him away, an' the Muggle-borns won' stand a chance! You mark my words, there'll be killin's next!" Hagrid shouts.
Lucius raises an eyebrow at Hagrid's outburst. "You think so?" Hagrid opens his mouth to respond, but is cut off by Dumbledore.
"Calm yourself, Hagrid. If the Governors desire my removal, I will, of course, step aside. However, you will find that help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it." Dumbledore's last statement confuses Harry for a moment. It doesn't seem to fit the context of the conversation at all. But he soon realizes that Dumbledore wasn't addressing any of the visible occupants of the hut. The fact that Dumbledore's words seemed to be addressed to the room as a whole just serves to convince Harry that the old man is aware of Harry and his friend's presence. How the Headmaster could know such a thing, Harry is unsure, but he has little doubt that his assumption is correct.
"Admirable sentiments. Shall we?" Lucius sneers hatefully. "Fudge!" Lucius says harshly, indicating to the Minister that this conversation is, in fact, over. Fudge immediately springs into action, which leads Harry to question the man's authority.
"Come, Hagrid…" Fudge urges, beginning to lead Hagrid to the door.
Hagrid clears his throat loudly before speaking, rather suspiciously, into the empty hut. "If anybody was looking for some stuff, then all they'd hafta do would be to follow the spiders. Yep, that'd lead them right. That's all I have to say. Oh, and someone'll need to feed Fang while I'm away."
'Real smooth, Hagrid.' Harry thinks to himself as Hagrid finishes speaking. Hagrid may have many talents, but subtlety is not one of them.
With that, the group of adults exit the hut. The boys wait a few moments after the door shuts before removing the invisibility cloak.
"As much as Dumbledore's presence irks me, I have to admit that Hagrid has a point. With him gone, it's likely that the frequency of the attacks will go up exponentially." Blaise comments, reflecting on the events that have just transpired.
"You're right." Harry agrees. "And that just makes getting to the bottom of this all the more important."
"What do you suppose he meant by 'follow the spiders?'" Theo asks as the group of Slytherins leave Hagrid's hut and gather just outside the door.
"I'm not sure…" Harry trails off as he notices something odd on the ground a few feet to his right. There is a group of small spiders travelling in a line toward the Forbidden Forest. "Guys, check that out." Harry says, pointing out the trail of spiders.
"That's rather odd behavior for spiders, don't you think?" Draco comments, his eyebrows scrunching up in confusion.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Harry makes a decision, one that he is almost entirely sure he'll come to regret.
"Come on." He states before heading toward the entrance to the Forbidden Forest. Draco, Blaise, and Theo pause for a moment in confusion before rushing to follow him.
"What do you mean, 'Come on?' Where are we going?" Draco questions, coming up next to Harry and meeting his stride.
"Hagrid told us to 'follow the spiders', and that's exactly what we're going to do." Harry explains simply, as if following a trail of spiders into a forest filled with werewolves and who knows what else is just a casual Tuesday.
"Um, Harry, you sure that's a good idea, mate?" Blaise asks nervously, his tone unsure, though he continues to follow Harry, anyway.
"You want answers, don't you?"
"Well, yeah, but-" Harry cuts Blaise off suddenly.
"Then we have to do this. With Hagrid gone, I have a feeling that this is the only way to find out what's going on." Harry states firmly, his gaze trained resolutely on the ground, tracking the spiders' movements.
Blaise groans dramatically, flinging his head back in a gesture of reluctant agreement. "I hate it when you're right."
The rest of the journey passes in silence, and after about ten minutes, they come to a stop at the entrance to a huge clearing. There are dense spider webs scattered throughout the environment, giving the area an eerie atmosphere. It makes the hair on Harry's neck stand on end.
"Hagrid? Is that you?" A deep, raspy voice echoes through the clearing, bringing everyone's attention to an enormous mass situated across from them. Harry had noticed it when they stopped, but had written it off as a large, oddly shaped rock. However, now that he focuses on it, he can make out a huge, spider-like figure in the dim moonlight. Draco, Blaise, and Theo notice it too, and Harry can feel them tense beside him.
"We're friends of Hagrid's. And you? You're Aragog, aren't you?" Harry speaks up bravely, trying to keep his voice calm and even. The mass begins to move, making Harry, Draco, Blaise, and Theo take a step back as they realize just how massive this spider truly is.
"Yes. Hagrid has never sent men into our hollow before." Aragog observes curiously.
"He's in trouble. Up at the school, there have been attacks. They think Hagrid is behind them. They think he opened the Chamber of Secrets, like before." Harry informs Aragog, taking care to show no weakness in front of the alpha acromantula. He has a strong feeling that the second he lets his guard down, Aragog will abandon civility and attack him and his friends. Actually, he's fairly certain that no matter what he does, this interaction is going to end in them running for their lives. However, he has yet to get the information he came for, so he's going to do everything he can to delay the inevitable.
"That's a lie! Hagrid never opened the Chamber of Secrets." Aragog shouts, defending his friend. His words confirm Harry's suspicions, and he now has no doubt that Tom Riddle was wrong when he accused Hagrid of opening the Chamber.
"Then you're not the monster?" Harry asks, though he already knows the answer.
"No. The monster was born in the castle. I came to Hagrid from a distant land, in the pocket of a traveler."
"But you do know what killed that girl fifty years ago, don't you?"
"We do not speak of it. It is an ancient creature we spiders fear above all else." Aragog's words confirm Hermione's theory. Harry recalls the line from the paper Hermione had been holding when she was petrified. The last line of the excerpt was 'Spiders flee before it.' All the pieces fit, and they can now be sure that Hagrid is not the culprit. He never opened the Chamber of Secrets, not in the present, nor fifty years ago.
"Have you seen it?"
"I never saw any part of the castle but the box in which Hagrid kept me. The girl was discovered in a bathroom. When I was accused, Hagrid brought me here." With this last piece of information, Harry concludes that he's gathered all the information that Aragog is willing to give him. Sensing that Aragog's tolerance of their presence is quickly coming to an end, Harry decides that it's time for them to take their leave.
"Well, thank you. We'll just… go…" Harry says carefully, noting the group of spiders amassing around them. They're everywhere, some coming up from behind the rocks surrounding the clearing, some emerging menacingly from the darkness of the trees, and others dropping from the canopy above. The boys begin to back away, but they are stopped by Aragog's raspy voice booming through the area.
"Go? 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's words send shivers down Harry's spine and he is acutely aware of Draco's fingers trapping his hand in a tight, panicked grip. "Goodbye, friends of Hagrid's."
"Go!" Harry exclaims frantically, his call spurring both friend and enemy into motion. Harry, Draco, Blaise, and Theo begin weaving their way desperately through the forest, dodging trees and stumbling over loose foliage. All the while, the spiders are looming ever closer. One of the arachnids gets close enough to lunge at the group, and Theo luckily glances back just in time to cast a spell to repel the beast.
"Arania exumai!" The spider is blasted back into a rock. The force of the impact crumbles the stone but does nothing to deter the beast, who immediately gets back up and rejoins its siblings in the chase.
"Good job, mate, you saved my arse!" Blaise yells gratefully at his friend from the back of the group.
"Yeah, no problem. But that's not going to be strong enough to take care of all of them!" Theo replies, grabbing Blaise's hand and encouraging him to move faster.
Suddenly, time seems to slow to a crawl for Harry. The surrounding sounds become muffled and distant, and the panic weighing upon his mind eases, allowing him to think clearly.
An idea strikes him like a bolt of lightning, sending rivulets of electric hope racing through his body. "I have a plan, but we're going to have to work together on this!" Harry shouts over the chaos, making sure to get everyone's attention. If this is going to work, then they're going to have to coordinate and be on the same page.
"Go for it, Harry!" Draco yells back as Blaise and Theo nod. His friend's panic dominates their features, and the sight strengthens Harry's resolve. He will get them through this. He has to.
"Blaise, Theo, I'm going to need the two of you to keep the spiders off us while Draco and I cast offensive spells." Harry explains quickly, earning nods from Blaise and Theo.
"Protego?" Blaise asks, making sure that he understands what Harry is asking of him and Theo.
"That's perfect." Harry confirms before directing his attention to Draco, who is to the right of Harry, keeping pace with him. "Spiders are weak to fire, so we'll use that against them. Draco, Incendio should be enough to take out the individuals that get too close." Harry explains, making Draco look at him like he's crazy, an impressive feat for someone who is currently running for their life. It must be some kind of superpower, and Harry respects it greatly. However, it's something that he can be in awe of later. Right now, Harry's priority is keeping himself and his friends alive.
"That's all well and good, Harry, but if you haven't noticed, there's an entire bloody horde of them chasing us! Incendio just isn't going to cut it!" Draco shouts, somehow managing to sound like his usual, stuck-up, condescending self, despite being in a life-or-death situation.
"I know that!" Harry replies, exasperated. He chances a look back at their pursuers and notices that their slight lead is quickly disappearing. They're running out of time. If they're going to do something, it's now or never. Otherwise, they may not make it out of this forest alive. "Look, I need you to trust me! All of you! There isn't time to explain, but believe me when I say that I wouldn't be so confident if I didn't have an ace up my sleeve!"
Harry hears a shout and a loud crack from behind him and he looks to see Theo with his wand raised and another spider flying backward. He looks back to Draco, who has replaced his hesitant expression with one of complete trust and resolve.
Draco nods. "Okay, I trust you. Let's do this."
"Alright! Everyone knows what to do! Keep that up, and on my mark, stop running and get behind me!" Harry instructs hastily, trusting his friends to keep him safe as he prepares for the spell he's about to cast.
Without hesitation, Draco, Blaise, and Theo spring into action. As the group's pace slows slightly, Blaise and Theo angle their bodies so they can somewhat face the mass of spiders behind them and cast protego. A translucent white light erupts from their wands, the two spells merging to form a shield behind them as they continue running. Draco moves an inch to the left so he can cast around the shields while still being within their protection. Due to their slowed pace, more spiders begin to lunge and jump at them. Each one's progress is promptly halted by Draco, who is casting one incendio after another in such quick succession that Harry is having a hard time keeping up.
Once Harry's sure that everything's going according to plan, he takes a moment to breathe and calm his racing heart. The curse he's going to cast is difficult to control, and easily above his supposed talents as a second-year Hogwarts student. He needs to have absolute focus and concentration if he wants to take out the swarm of Acromantula pursuing them without killing him and his friends in the process.
He prepares for a few more seconds to prepare befors friends the signal. "Now!" Harry abruptly stops running, skidding to a stop and using his momentum to turn on his heels and face the swarm, wand at the ready. The others stop less than a second after, doing as Harry instructed and taking cover behind him. With one more deep breath, Harry amasses his magic, letting it burn inside of him, the raw power coursing through his blood sending shocks ,radiating throughout his body.
"CONFRINGO!" Harry roars. The sheer power of his voice seems to shake the very ground beneath them, and less than a moment after Harry utters the spell, fire erupts from his wand as Harry's magic answers its master's call. A blistering heat fills the air, matching the intensity of Harry's furious gaze, and the magical flames race toward the massive horde, exploding violently upon impact. Nothing in the curse's path escapes the scorching flames as spiders and foliage alike are set ablaze. The sheer destructive power of the spell is astonishing, and Draco, Blaise, and Theo look out upon the carnage in awe, the flames surrounding them lighting their shocked expressions and casting ominous shadows upon their faces.
It seems like hours before the fires die down, although it takes only minutes, and once the blinding light from the raging flames recedes, the boys take in the state of their environment. The forest floor is littered with piles of ash, presumably what's left of the Acromantula that had been hit by the curse, and they are surrounded by scorched earth and partially burnt trees. The leaves that had once covered the ground have been reduced to cinders, and the putrid stench of smoke and burning flesh lingers harshly in the air, dominating their senses and stinging their eyes.
Amazingly, a few of their pursuers are still alive, having been far enough back in the group to avoid the devastation. The boys tense up, ready to fight for their lives once more, but as the remaining Acromantula observe the scene and take in the sight of their fallen kin, they decide to retreat, leaving the four boys standing alone.
Once the last of the spiders disappear into the darkness, Harry collapses heavily to his knees, the last of the energy draining from his body. Draco, Blaise, and Theo rush to his side, kneeling down beside Harry to assess his condition. The dark-haired Slytherin is panting heavily and sweat is glistening across his brow. He's looking down at the ground between his hands, which are spread beneath him to support his weight.
"Harry!" Draco cries as his knees hit the forest floor with a harsh thud. "Are you alright?" The blond asks, his voice quieter than before as he places a hand on Harry's shoulder. It takes a moment for Harry to respond, but eventually, he looks up at Draco, meeting the blond's gaze. Draco quickly begins evaluating Harry's expression, worried that the boy may be hurt, but his inspection abruptly comes to an end when he notices the wide grin Harry is sporting.
"I'm bloody fantastic!" Harry exclaims, laughing and rocking backward to sit on the grass, his legs splayed out in front of him. "Sorry if I worried you. That spell took a lot out of me and I had to catch my breath. I'm good now."
"Good... Idiot." Draco grunts out, scowling as he cuffs Harry upside the head as payment for scaring the crap out of him. Before Harry can hit Draco back, and/or give a hilariously sarcastic and brilliantly constructed retort, Blaise speaks up.
"Speaking of fantastic, what the bloody hell was that?!" Blaise leans closer to Harry, eagerly awaiting his response.
"Yeah, Harry. I've never seen anything like it." Theo readily agrees, mimicking Blaise's movement. Blaise and Theo take a moment to look at Draco, waiting for him to join in with his own astonishment.
"It was dangerous and completely insane…" Draco begins, his gaze admonishing. "But, yes, I guess it was also 'fantastic', as Blaise so elegantly put it." Draco finishes, ruffling a hand through Harry's hair. "Now, what I want to know is where you could have possibly learned something like that. Not at Hogwarts, that's for sure. I think I would have noticed if they'd taught us something like that."
"Well, if you must know, your father taught it to me. Remind me to thank him later." Harry says, laughing and running a hand through his already messy hair.
"Oh, no." Draco says hastily. "My father will definitely not be hearing about this."
A/N: Quite a bit of this chapter is taken straight out of the movie, especially the dialogue. We looked through it and decided that the scenes we added were necessary to the development of the story.
Anyway, we are quickly approaching the end of this story! Honestly, I had no idea how close to finished we were until I started writing the previous chapter. Lol. I hope you guys have enjoyed the story so far.
Also, I just want to take a moment to apologize for the erratic and drawn-out update schedule. For the past few months, my ability to do anything creative has been very much crippled. I haven't been able to write like I used to, and when I tried to write when I wasn't in a good headspace for it, the writing just seemed mechanical and didn't live up to my standards. I want to do this story justice, and I don't want to put out chapters that I'm not satisfied with just for the sake of keeping a consistent update schedule. Things have been getting better, though. So, I hope that by the time this story ends I will be able to keep up with posting a chapter a week. I very much want to thank you all for being patient and supporting this story, despite its flaws. I hope it continues to entertain and live up to your expectations.
As always, comments and kudos are very much appreciated! Thank you for reading!
Much Love,
RavenGrey2103