Chapter 160 Change Of Heart
Clicks, clicks, clicks...
Evan watched as, like him, the short, chubby body of Peter Pettigrew was seized by an Acromantula. With his head suspended in the air and his hands flailing, Peter was extremely frightened.
"Help me, Evan. Please, help me..." Peter's horrified face showed a glimmer of hope upon seeing Evan.
He reached out his arms towards Evan and pleaded miserably.
He wanted to break free from the Acromantula's control, but his feeble resistance proved futile.
The Acromantula squeezed Peter tightly with its two long, hairy front legs, dragging him towards the center of the forest.
Clicks, clicks, clicks...
It passed by Evan and vanished among the dark trees.
Evan moved, and the two Acromantulas in front of him lunged.
They restrained him, preventing him from saving Pettigrew.
Sixteen shiny black eyes were fixed on Evan. The sharp and large fangs snapped loud enough to send shivers down any ordinary man's spine.
Evan took a half step back and, through the faint light at the tip of his wand, he saw an Acromantula rushing with its long, hairy eight legs, attacking directly from the ground, while the other swiftly climbed the imposing oak next to him and descended.
They were poised to attack from above and below, the situation growing increasingly desperate.
Evan did not hesitate. He left the oak beside him and lunged towards the Acromantula in front of him.
His wand emitted a beam of light, like a sharp sword, cleaving the monster in front of him in half from the center.
After slaying it, he quickly looked up.
He uttered his spell swiftly as he moved his wand from bottom to top, and the same curse with a dazzling light struck the spider that had just descended from the trunk.
Boom!
The green and sticky entrails of the spider splattered and flew everywhere.
The remains of the corpse fell heavily to the ground, its lifeless body splitting into two pieces.
But its eerie fangs were still moving at an alarming speed, biting the air insanely as if they had caught Evan.
The absolute brutality of the eight-eyed creature was embodied in that scene.
In the book "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," the Acromantula was listed alongside the Werewolf as one of the most dangerous magical species known to date.
Yesterday in Hogsmeade, Evan battled a werewolf.
Fortunately, an Acromantula does not possess the terrifying defense and resilience of a werewolf. They can be harmed by relatively powerful magic. One just needs to be cautious not to be touched by their sharp, massive, and venomous fangs.
The forest fell silent again, as if nothing had occurred.
Evan panted for a moment and continued towards where Peter had been dragged.
With the help of the Tracking Agent, he could discern their destination, which seemed to lead towards the center of an enormous hollow.
As before, the ground sloped downward, but the surrounding trees were not as dense and became sparser. The trunks also displayed an unhealthy gray color, appearing to have been eroded by some plague, and were covered in cobwebs.
The landscape on the ground was even more disturbing, with animal remains scattered everywhere. Evan saw many white chrysalises. He did not know what was wrapped inside them. They must be the Acromantulas' food. As he passed by, some wriggled violently.
Obviously, the creatures inside had not yet perished.
Due to tension, Evan's palm was sweaty. He probably realized he was about to encounter something terrifying if he proceeded.
He was contemplating the idea of giving up on Pettigrew. With his current injury, he certainly could not escape the Acromantula. Pursuing him sounded like a direct path to death. Evan hesitated, as common sense urged him to retreat and return to his friends.
But he could still hear Pettigrew's screams.
He sighed deeply and knew he couldn't leave him there.
After all, he still needed him to clear Lupin and Black's names. Knowing Cornelius Fudge's nature, unless Evan personally delivers Pettigrew, the Minister would never believe the two are innocent.
Not to mention that Lucius Malfoy is devising his own schemes. Even with Dumbledore's authority, there is no way to confront them. No matter how powerful or grand the headmaster is, he cannot persuade others in the Ministry to stand by his side.
Therefore, Evan had to bring Pettigrew back.
Adding to that, Evan was not the kind to stand idly by watching someone die before his eyes.
Even if the victim was Pettigrew, even with the danger awaiting him, he would never flinch.
He advanced, worried about Black's injury. He also didn't know Harry and Hermione's condition. As he walked away, it seemed like the Dementors were approaching. But upon seeing the powerful barrier emanating from the castle, he felt relieved.
As long as they have that person, they won't be in danger.
However, with the way things unfolded tonight, Evan felt his responsibility was immense.
Faced with a dark wizard like Pettigrew, he felt conflicted.
The right approach in this matter would have been to stun Pettigrew directly and then bring him to Dumbledore, or incapacitate him to eliminate any chance of escape, or...
Evan had a tendency to empathize with others.
He had this impression of Pettigrew. Besides his cowardice and stupidity, he felt he had a conscience that had never been completely extinguished. With this image, combined with Peter's tragic end, Evan thought that by overcoming him and confronting him with the truth, Peter would relinquish all resistance and confess.
For him, that would have been a perfect ending to the events of this year.
With Black managing to clear his name and obtain what he was supposed to, and Ron managing to resist the Imperius Curse through his own efforts, making Peter pay the price for his actions and sincerely apologizing to Black and Harry would have been perfect.
However, things did not unfold in that direction!
To escape, to evade the wrath of the Dementors, Pettigrew resorted to that forbidden dark magic, caring not one bit about the safety of the four innocent children before him.
Pettigrew's reaction was completely different from what Evan ever imagined.
Evan realized at that moment that he was too naive.
This is a real magical world, not a game where he can foresee events based on the original plot. These characters were real living people.
Everyone had their own ideas, making decisions based on the dynamics of their environment, rather than adhering to what the book said.
Even Dumbledore, the greatest white wizard of the contemporary Era, had his own undisclosed plans. Otherwise, tonight would have...
And among all the Death Eaters, Pettigrew was the most despicable and weakest of all. Yet, he proved to be so wicked and difficult to deal with.
Evan sighed once more. He realized that if he continued to be so naive, he would never become a formidable opponent for Voldemort.
"Changing the destiny of others is starting to resemble more of a fairy tale. It seems like the one who needs changing the most is me!"
Evan's eyes gradually turned resolute. Though his heart remained unchanged, he resolved to employ more pragmatic methods to address these real issues.