Chapter Seventeen
He tossed and turned that night. Crabbe and Goyle slept peacefully, seemingly uncaring about the days events. Just past midnight he gave up and went down to the common room. Draco and Pansy were sitting curled up on the sofa staring into the fire.
"Couldn't sleep either?" Harry asked, curling up on the other side of Pansy.
"I couldn't stop looking over at her empty bed." Pansy whispered.
"I think we should go see Hagrid." Draco said, "We have to at least ask him."
Harry nodded.
"We're not allowed out the common room." Pansy pointed out, "And the corridors are going to be filled with teachers."
"I'll go get the cloak." Harry said then. He went quickly and quietly back to the dorm. Crabbe and Goyle slept like large logs, possibly too stupid to realise the danger. Blaise however was tossing and turning. It had been a shock to many of them that a Slytherin had been attacked as everyone thought the house would be safe. Daphne wasn't even a half-blood, her family had been magical for further back than her family tree went.
Harry grabbed the cloak from his trunk and went back downstairs. They tucked it around the three of them and tiptoed out the door. As they had expected the hallways had never seen so much night time activity.
Teachers, the head boy and girl, prefects and ghosts were all patrolling the corridors. Even though Harry, Draco and Pansy were invisible under the cloak they could still be bumped into and they had a hard time dodging everyone.
The three of them let out a collective sigh of relief when they finally reached the large oak doors and slipped out into the cool night air.
It was then a much simpler journey to Hagrid's hut. They were pleased to see the lights were still lit and Harry pulled the cloak off, knocking on the door.
It swung open, Hagrid glared at them pointing a large crossbow out the door.
"Oh." he sighed, lowering the weapon, "It's jus' you three."
He stepped aside and let them in. It looked like he'd been crying.
"Wan' some tea?" he asked, he moved around the hut, dropping the tea pot, nearly putting the fire out when he spilt the water and forgetting to put any tea in the cups of boiling water he passed them.
"Hagrid are you all right?" Pansy asked, pulling on Hagrid's arm to make him sit down.
He shook his shaggy head, "Jus'...never mind." he gave a weak smile.
"Did you hear about what happened?" Harry asked.
Hagrid nodded, "Aye. Hermione is a good friend. And Daphne is a great lass. You mus' be missin' 'em." he wiped away a few tears.
There was a loud knock on the door. Harry, Pansy and Draco jumping at the sound.
"Quick. Under the cloak." Hagrid whispered, throwing it at them.
The three students moved into the corner behind the table and crouched under the table together, hardly daring to breath.
Hagrid picked up the crossbow and wrenched open the door.
" 'Ello." he said gravely, stepping back.
They watched as Dumbledore entered the hut followed by a strange looking man in a purple bowler hat.
"Is that?..." Harry whispered.
Draco nodded, "Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic." he said as quietly as he could, "No idea why he'd be here."
Pansy shushed them both.
"Minister." Hagrid said gruffly and sat down.
"Hello Hagrid," Fudge said in strangely clipped words, "Bad business, very, very bad. The ministry has had to act."
"Minster...please...I never...never...Professor Dumbledore! Please!" Hagrid pleaded looking horrified.
"I would like it said, and put on record, that Hagrid has my every trust." Dumbledore said calmly.
"Of course Hagrid, I completely understand, but we have to do something." Fudge said, "The school governors have been in touch, we have to act before anyone else is hurt."
"It weren't me." Hagrid said loudly.
"Once again Cornelius, Hagrid has my every confidence." Dumbledore stated strongly, his blue eyes alive with fire.
"Please, please remain calm Hagrid." Fudge said straightening his hat, "If you are not to blame, then you will be back here in no time, I promise and with the ministry's apology..."
"Go? Go where?" Hagrid said standing up suddenly, "Not to Azkaban prison?! I ain't done nothin' wrong!"
Harry fought the urge to burst out from under the cloak and defend Hagrid, who was looking more and more like he was going to faint as the seconds passed.
There was another knock on the door. Dumbledore opened it and in swept a surprisingly well looking Bellatrix.
"Good evening Albus." She smiled, "I'm so glad that I caught you."
"Wha' you doin' in my 'ouse?" Hagrid spat at her, looking rather awkward.
Bellatrix swept over to him and shook his hand briefly. She had the uncanny ability to flirt with anyone when she set her mind to it.
"Forgive me Hagrid," She purred as he pulled his hand away in disgust and embarrassment, "I will be gone as soon as I can. I've just popped into the castle and was told the headmaster was down here with you." she turned away and sat down.
She took her time taking off her soft leather gloves; looking completely out of place dressed so fine in the homely hut as everyone watched her.
"I was just here to give the headmaster this." Bellatrix pulled out a roll of parchment and handed it to Dumbledore.
His calm manner faltered for a second as he read over it.
"We feel it would be, better that another teacher took over at the school as head." Bellatrix said smoothly, "All these attacks, and you've done nothing. Wouldn't it be terrible if someone died? You'll find all thirteen signatures are there. We all agree; the students must be protected."
"You can't ge' rid o' Dumbledore! He's the only thin' keepin' the kids safe!" Hagrid bellowed.
"Well, clearly not all of the children safe. I have children of my own coming next year and I would never let them be somewhere they are unsafe, with improper care. We've all enjoyed your personal brand of teaching, but it's time for someone else to have a go." Bellatrix said softly.
"Your Grace, if it is the governors wish that I leave, then I will leave. But I will never be truly gone, until the last person loyal to me has also, left, the castle." Dumbledore said, shooting a look towards the three invisible children.
Bellatrix gave a sly smile and stood up, carefully putting her gloves back on to leave, "Quite Professor, no one is truly gone until those who are loyal have also left this world." She gazed into his eyes before sweeping out the hut, "Are you coming minister?"
Fudge who seemed to have been entranced by Bellatrix's presence snapped back to reality and shook his head, "Yes of course. Come along Hagrid, lets not make a scene."
Hagrid looked around the hut, almost looking around for another way out before his shoulders sagged in defeat, "Well all I'm goin' to say is anyone wants the truth all they 'ave to do is follow the spiders. Yep that'll set 'em straigh'. And someone's gonna have to feed Fang while I'm gone."
Hagrid pulled on his large moleskin overcoat and left the house with Dumbledore and Fudge. Pansy, Draco and Harry left it a few minutes, making sure they were gone, before pulling off the cloak.
"So that's three teachers gone." Pansy said, still staring at the door, "They wont have anyone left to teach at this rate."
"Yep. I don't know who we'd go to with a problem now." Harry sighed, "I think we're going to have to 'follow the spiders'."
Draco scrunched up his face, "Do we have to? I can't see it ending well."
Pansy let out a burst of laughter and rested her head on his shoulder. They gave Fang some fuss before heading back to the castle and trying to get some sleep.
The next day it was all over the school, Dumbledore had left and Hagrid arrested! Professor Lockhart was going on and on about how he had always suspected Hagrid and he wished he's had a chance to confront him.
After only a few days it became apparent that it wasn't just Daphne and Hermione they'd lost from their group. Neville found it impossible to talk to them. In classes seats had been moved so the houses were apart, not that anyone was allowed to talk any more anyway, and they every time he so much as looked at him another Gryffindor would jump in the middle of them, glaring until either Harry or Neville gave up.
Harry was still strongly suspected as the culprit; either working with Hagrid or alone and framing Hagrid. When the subject of Daphne was pointed out it was often said she wasn't in the hospital wing but gone home, or she was an accident or more likely Harry and her had had a disagreement, everyone knew he'd sent Hermione away after all.
The hospital wing was closed off. No one was allowed to visit. Madam Pomfrey guarded the door like a dragon keeping everyone out, fearing that whoever attacked them in the first place would return to finish the job.
It was quickly heading for midsummer when Harry, Pansy and Draco were feeding Fang who was missing Hagrid greatly. For over three weeks they'd been trying to 'follow the spiders' but every spider in the castle had seemed to have left, and then Pansy saw it.
"Look!" She said smacking Draco's arm.
"Oww." He said rubbing the spot and glaring at her, "What?"
"Look." she said pointing to three or four tiny spiders climbing out of Hagrid's window. The three of them jumped up, followed by Fang and looked outside. They followed the spiders to the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
"We can't go any further." Draco said pulling Harry back.
"We might not see any more spiders for another three weeks! Think who else might have been attacked. It might be us!" Pansy pointed out, "We can't wait!"
"It's nearly six." Harry pointed out, "Lockhart will be down here any minute, hurrying us to the common room. We'll come back tonight, under the cloak."
Pansy and Draco nodded in agreement and they headed back to Hagrid's hut. They shut Fang inside promising to come back later. His howls and scratches at the door never got any easier for them to walk away from.
Halfway back to the castle they were met by Professor Lockhart, an annoying grin on his face. Every other teacher looked even grimmer than normal but Lockhart seemed to be on cloud nine.
"You three are late again. Using the fame card to get special treatment again huh Harry!" he chuckled to himself.
Harry bit his tongue and said nothing.
"Why do you all look so glum?" Lockhart pressed, "All the danger is passed!"
"And how are you sure?" Pansy snapped, fed up of his never ending cheerfulness while her oldest, best friend was lying petrified in the hospital wing.
"My dear girl! The minister wouldn't have arrested Hagrid if he wasn't sure! No no no, he must have been one hundred percent sure that Hagrid was as guilty as sin." Lockhart shook his head.
"Hagrid wouldn't hurt anyone." Harry said firmly.
"My dear boy I think I know a touch more about the criminal's arrest than you do." Lockhart said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Harry, Pansy and Draco forced smiles onto their faces, they couldn't let anyone know that they'd been there or the cloak would be confiscated in a second and right now they needed it.
Harry spent the evening playing chess and sitting on the invisibility cloak. The common room was always busy at the moment what with them all being stuck inside for the evening, every evening. It was also leading to people going to bed later and later. It was passed midnight by the time the common room had emptied and they were able to once again slip out under the cloak.
The corridor was busier tonight than it was last time and there were several moments Harry was sure that they were about to be caught but, somehow, they made it to the front door and into the nights air.
They went to Hagrid's before taking off the invisibility cloak and placing it carefully on the table. Fang went nuts, barking loud enough to wake the whole castle but they managed to calm him down quickly before anyone came to investigate the noise.
"Yes...yes, hello. Dumb dog." Pansy said clipping on his collar and lead, "Figure it would be best to take him with us. He goes into the forest with Hagrid all the time."
Harry and Draco nodded. Now they were here, going into a dark, monster filled forest, in the middle of the night, alone, seemed like a terrible idea.
They wondered along the edge of the forest until they found a single, small spider, scuttling over a twig.
"Right then." Harry said taking a deep breath, "Off we go."
The three of them flicked their wands, giving them a small amount of light coming from each wand. The forest was so dark and their wands only let out a little light so they could only just see the spider, which they followed quickly into the forest.
"Follow the Spider-ry road, Follow the Spider-ry road, Follow, Follow..." Harry sung, unable to bare the silence pressing down on the three children.
After an hour or so the spider left the path.
"Hagrid always told us not to leave the path." Draco said.
"We've come this far." Pansy said stubbornly.
Harry nodded and with a brave footstep, left the path.
They'd never been in this part of the forest. The trees pressed in closely on either side letting in no light and there was the odd rustling noise that sent shivers down Harry's spine.
All of a sudden he found himself grabbed tightly around the middle and flipped upside down. He would have screamed if the pair of legs crushing his chest would let enough air into his lungs to do so.
Harry looked down to see a giant spider, easily the size of a horse, clutching him with it's two front legs. It's large pincers snapping just below Harry's feet. He could see Pansy and Draco had also been grabbed. Pansy was thrashing around trying to smack the spider that had her upside down by her ankles. Fang was whining and had clearly also been grabbed.
Harry was panicked to keep track of how much time he was in the spiders grasp, all he knew was there were more spiders ranging in size from large cat to large horse, joining them as they were carried along.
Harry closed his eyes as they burst into a clearing, the moonlight shinning down on them. He felt himself be dropped onto a sticky web like structure, that bounced up and down when he tried to stand.
There was movement just in front of them and their breath caught in their throats. A huge spider was moving slightly. It was the size of an elephant, it's long legs shifted round heaving it's large grey back away from Harry, Draco and Daphne.
"Aragog!" The spider who'd been carrying Harry spoke, it sounded rather strange with the clicking of its pincers over the top.
"What is it?" The huge spider replied lazily, "I was asleep."
"Strangers." another spider spoke.
"Just kill them." Aragog said.
The spiders rushed forward.
"Wait!" Draco ordered, slowly standing up and finding his balance, "We're friends of Hagrid."
The spiders stopped moving and Aragog slowly turned around. His eyes were a glazed over white; he was clearly blind.
"Hagrid?" Aragog said, "Hagrid has never sent men into our hollow before, why has he sent you?"
"He's in danger. They've taken him away, to prison; a horrible prison. They think he's responsible for the attacks at the school." Harry told them, his voice far stronger than he felt.
There was a rattle of angry pincers.
"Hagrid has never hurt anyone!" Aragog said loudly, "He is a truly good soul and my friend."
"So it wasn't you who killed the girl?" Pansy asked.
Aragog shook his huge head, "No. I never hurt anyone in the castle; against my nature, but out of respect for Hagrid. I never even saw any part of the castle apart from the wardrobe that I was kept in. I came from a distant land in the pocket of a traveller, Hagrid hatched me from an egg and cared for me. The girl was killed in a bathroom, I never even saw her." he sounded like ever word was a great effort for him to make.
Harry, Draco and Pansy looked at each other and sighed.
"Moaning Myrtle." Harry said, the other two nodded in agreement.
"Do you know what killed her?" Draco asked.
There was another loud rattle of pincers.
"We do not speak of it!" Aragog boomed, "It is our enemy. A creature so old and feared it is not even named."
"We understand. Is there anything else you know? Please; Hagrid's life might depend on it." Harry pleaded.
Aragog slowly clicked his pincers in concern, "Hagrid is good. He cared for me for so long. Even found me a wife, Mosag, when the time came and see how our family has grown, all from Hagrid's goodness."
Harry, Draco and Pansy looked around, hundreds of spiders were slowly pushing closer, leaving them all feeling rather claustrophobic.
"But I know nothing more." Aragog said, "I am sorry friends of Hargid."
"Don't be, you've been a great help." Pansy said nervously.
"I'm sorry." Aragog repeated, "My children do not attack Hagrid on my instruction but I cannot deny them fresh meat when it wonders so willingly into our hollow."
Harry, Draco and Pansy didn't hesitate but pulled their wands and pointed them at Aragog.
"Hurt us and we'll kill you." Pansy shouted, "We wont make it out but neither will you!"
The advancing wall of spiders stopped. Fang was cowering at Pansy's legs making her shake on the unstable ground.
"Leave." a voice hissed from behind them.
Harry looked around, the spiders weren't moving forward but they weren't letting them go either. He looked down and used his wand to cut a gap in the webbing. Draco jumped down to the small space between the spiders home and the forest floor, helping Pansy and Fang down. Harry followed, not taking his wand off Aragog until he was well out of sight.
They ran as fast as they could threw the forest until they were somewhere they recognised and back on the path. Pausing to catch their breath, they lent against the nearby trees and breathed deeply.
Pansy turned and threw up wiping her mouth with the back of her sleeve, "Follow the spiders!? If Hagrid ever gets out of prison I'm going to kill him."
"I honestly...I mean we went down, chess and potions but...that..." Draco said as white as a sheet.
Harry had slid down the tree and was stroking Fang to calm himself, "I don't think he thought they'd hurt someone who was a friend of his, clearly he was wrong."
"It's not exactly the first time he's thought monsters were friendly, fluffy bunny rabbits!" Pansy agreed.
They made their way slowly out the rest of the forest, all three of them nursing painful stitches in their sides. Fang saw where he was and ran into the hut, curling up under his blanket, in his basket, where no evil giant spiders could get him. Harry grabbed the invisibility cloak and gave Fang some more fuss.
"At least we know something now, well we know that Myrtle knows something." Pansy pointed out, "How we're going to get to her with the castle on lock down is another story."
Harry, Draco and Pansy tucked themselves back under the invisibility cloak and made their way back to the castle, they slept in the common room that night, not wanting to be separated while dreaming of giant spiders.