Chapter 296 A Disaster Waiting To Happen
Riding on Buckbeak's back was not akin to riding a broomstick.
Evan felt everything around him spinning rapidly, the figures on the ground shrinking swiftly and disappearing, and the line dividing the sky and the earth becoming blurry. He clutched onto Buckbeak's neck and pressed his body against his feathers.
Buckbeak's wings flapped uncomfortably on either side of him, almost trapping him under his talons and making him feel like he was about to be thrown off at any moment.
Due to the wind, the gleaming feathers of Buckbeak slipped beneath his fingers.
Evan dared not try to grip tighter. The rear of the hippogriff was rising and falling with its wings. He felt himself swaying back and forth. This was far more challenging than riding a smooth broomstick. If he hadn't overcome his acrophobia in the last month or so, he couldn't have guaranteed that he wouldn't have fainted.
Nevertheless, Evan could be certain that even if he fell from a great height, Buckbeak would be able to catch him before hitting the ground.
Upon reflection, there was really nothing to worry about.
He attempted to peer out and observe the surrounding landscape.
They were now flying swiftly over the vast lake in front of the castle, at an astonishing speed, faster than the Firebolt.
As Buckbeak spread his wings and white clouds drifted by his side, Evan felt as though he was dancing with the wind, which was truly a wonderful experience.
He soon discovered the advantages of riding a hippogriff.
In addition to being extremely swift and agile, it was also easy to conceal. From below, only a hippogriff could be seen soaring through the air, with Evan hidden beneath its thick plumage unseen.
Moreover, these thick feathers could help Evan withstand the cold winds of the sky and maintain warmth, so he wouldn't freeze or stiffen while flying.
Not to mention that Buckbeak himself was capable of combat.
During a brawl, he could assist Evan in facing Acromantulas and all sorts of potential dangers.
With improved comfort, it would be perfect.
"Let's fly towards the Forbidden Forest, towards the Acromantula territory," Evan shouted. "Our destination is the slope, Aragog's Lair!"
Just as Evan and Buckbeak neared Aragog's Lair, at the edge of the Acromantula territory, Malfoy, Goyle, and Crabbe also appeared there.
They passed under a huge fallen trunk covered in green vines. The ground was strewn with gravel and unfamiliar plants. The dense moss was very uncomfortable to step on and nearly caused Goyle to slip. He hastily held onto Crabbe to prevent him from falling.
The two breathed heavily and quickly. They gazed around at the slightly eerie landscape, their faces etched with fear and worry.
Even if they were dim-witted, they knew they couldn't face the Acromantulas alone with just their bulging muscles.
"Draco, we..." Goyle's voice trembled, his dull eyes darting back and forth between the nearby bushes, fearing something might emerge from them.
"What?" Malfoy responded gruffly, not even turning his head.
"No, I don't think we can go further," Crabbe nudged Goyle, and they exchanged glances. He almost pleaded, "Everywhere here, those dangerous Acromantulas Professor Black told us about are lurking."
"SHUT UP, GREGORY! Don't mention Black to me. He and the Weasleys are the scum of pure-blood wizards!" Malfoy said sharply, "Well, I can see it now, the loathsome Black, the detestable Potter, and the most odious cursed Mason, they are behind all of this."
"Draco, the Acromantulas are dangerous. We are getting close to their territory," Crabbe swallowed hard and hurried to persuade him, "Gregory is right. Let's turn back. They could appear at any moment."
"CALM DOWN, VINCENT," Malfoy said with disgust, "I know what I'm doing. We're just looking for those stupid spiders. Do you think I'll be defeated by them? Well, the two of you just follow me."
Malfoy gripped his wand tightly and angrily broke the branches on the ground.
"But..."
"At the edge of the Forbidden Forest, only very weak Acromantulas can be seen. Only here we could find larger spiders. The three of us can handle them," Malfoy explained impatiently, "in recent months, you have killed many."
Seeing Malfoy's angry face, Goyle and Crabbe did not dare to refute.
Everyone knew that at that moment they should not provoke Malfoy. In fact, after losing to Gryffindor, all the Slytherin students questioned and mocked Malfoy's performance on the field. They did not understand why Malfoy joined Harry to prevent other players from blocking Angelina.
Although Malfoy had explained many times that he was avoiding physical collision with Harry, this explanation could not be understood or sympathized with in the Slytherin house.
For most, it was because of Malfoy's stupidity and cowardice that they lost the crucial finals. Although no one dared to blame or publicly question Malfoy because of his family's status, the way everyone looked at him was very unpleasant for him.
While Gryffindor was celebrating, the atmosphere in the Slytherin Common Room was gloomy and tense, with discomfort gripping everyone.
While Flint and the rest of the team were preparing to review each other, Malfoy led Goyle and Crabbe out of the room.
He was so angry that, if he could, he would prefer to duel with Harry.
In fact, he couldn't even find Harry's shadow at that moment.
Malfoy wandered aimlessly around the castle, thinking about the recent series of unpleasant events: the Quidditch Final they had just lost, Buckbeak, who had injured him and escaped punishment, Harry's reunion with his godfather Sirius Black, and his father and Professor Snape's advice, etc.
The more he thought, the angrier he became and the worse he felt about his recent misfortunes. It all started to crumble around Christmas, and things were getting worse.
After hearing some Hufflepuffs in the library talking about the Quidditch match and the big party held in the Gryffindor Common Room, Malfoy left with a dark face. He decided to vent his feelings by killing Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest.
After a few months of fighting Acromantulas, the combat strength of all the young wizards increased significantly.
With the help of others, Malfoy also killed more than 30 Acromantulas, which ranked him second among all the young wizards at Hogwarts, surpassing most of the older students, and that was enough to make him proud.
Although no professor accompanied him today, Malfoy did not think he was in danger.
Even though angry, he still had enough sense to know that as long as he did not venture too far into the Acromantulas' territory, there would be no danger.
What he needed now was to vent his anger by taking lives.
But strangely, today he couldn't understand what was happening. Malfoy, Goyle, and Crabbe had been searching outside the Forbidden Forest for a long time and not even seeing the shadow of an Acromantula. These creatures, which were extremely common in the past, seemed to have suddenly disappeared.