Public Issues (Demma Book 2)

Aragog's Lair

Dateline: May 24th, 1993

"Hagrid's right! With Dumbledore gone, there'll be an attack a day with him gone!" said Hermione.

"Look," said Harry, who was now curiously looking at the spiders who were climbing on the wall toward the windowsill. "Come on, Fang," he said again, taking a lantern from the counter, and dashed out of the house to see the trail of spiders heading into the shade of trees.

"You heard what Hagrid said: Follow the Spiders."

"They're heading into the Dark Forest! What could possibly be important for Following the Spiders?"

"Don't know yet. We'll have to wait and see where this leads us. Come on!"

So, with Fang scampering around them, sniffing tree roots and leaves, they entered the forest. They followed the steady trickle of spiders moving along the path. They walked behind them for about twenty minutes, not speaking, listening hard for noises other than breaking twigs and rustling leaves.

Harry paused, trying to see where the spiders were going, but everything outside was pitch-black. He and Hermione had never been this deep in the forest before. They could vividly remember Hagrid advising them not to leave the forest path the last time they'd been there. But Hagrid was miles away now, probably being escorted to a cell in Azkaban, and he'd also said to follow the spiders.

They walked for what seemed like at least half an hour, their clothes snagging on low-slung branches and brambles. Then, after a while, they noticed that the ground seemed to be sloping downward, though the trees were as thick as ever.

"There's something moving over there. Listen," Harry breathed. "It sounds like something big."

They listened. Some distance to their right, something big was snapping branches as it carved a path through the trees. The darkness seemed to be pressing on their eyes as they stood, terrified, waiting. Finally, there was a strange rumbling noise and then silence.

Then, to their right, came a sudden blaze of light, so bright in the darkness that both of them flung up their hands to shield their eyes.

"It's our car!" Hermione shouted, her voice breaking with relief as she held onto Harry for the entire time. "It must've been here all the time. I bet the forest had turned it wild."

The Weasley car was standing, empty, in the middle of a circle of thick trees under a roof of dense branches, its headlights ablaze. The sides of the car were scratched and smeared with mud. Apparently, it had taken to trundling around the forest on its own.

"Come on, we don't want to lose the trail," said Harry, wrapping his arm around her waist and moved her along the forest floor.

"I don't like this," said Hermione in a timid tone. "I don't like this at all."

"Stay close, Hermione. You're safe with me."

The darkness had suddenly lifted enough to see a leaf-strewn ground was swarming with spiders. Hermione realized that she and Harry had reached the ridge of a vast hollow that had been cleared of trees.

"Let's go," said Hermione, who was now braver than ever.

They walked inside the hollow where they'd seen a horrific sight: Dark and dusty was the forest floor, spiders roaming around every corner, and the massive specimen that was emerging from a steep slope in the very centre of the hollow. Its followers closed in all around it, clicking their razor-sharp pincers excitingly at the sight of its load.

"You're Aragog, aren't you?" Harry said in fear.

"Yes," said the aged spider. "Friend of Hagrid's, I suppose?"