Ivy Potter, Year Two | Raised By The Malfoys

Chapter Twenty Two: Aragog

          After dinner, I changed into jeans and a warm green flannel for tonight. I tied my hair up into a ponytail and left behind my watch and hair clip. When the girls fell asleep, I snuck into the common room and waited at the entrance for Ron and Harry. A hand came out and I took it. They pulled me under and I realized it was Ron. The three of us left the castle and knocked on Hagrid's front door. When he opened it, he was aiming a crossbow at us.

          "Hagrid! It's us!" I cried out and pulled off the cloak.

          He quickly brought us inside. We sat at Hagrid's table and he struggled to make us some tea. His hands were shaking when he was trying to pour us a cup. The news about Hermione scared him greatly. Before we could ask him about the chamber, there was another knock at his door. Harry, Ron, and I went under the cloak and stood by his fireplace. The minister, Professor Dumbledore, and Mr. Malfoy came in. The minister was going to lock up Hagrid in Azkaban prison and Mr. Malfoy brought signatures to suspend Professor Dumbledore as headmaster at Hogwarts. Hagrid gave us a message that we should follow the spiders and Professor Dumbledore said that if anybody needs help at Hogwarts, it will always be available to those who ask for it. All four men left Hagrid's hut and when they were inside the castle, we took off the cloak.

          "We have to do something now," I pleaded.

          "Look!" Harry exclaimed.

          We saw a trail of spiders leaving Hagrid's hut out of an open window. I quickly fed Fang while the boys bickered about what to do.

          "Let's leave the cloak here. Now is our only chance," I said.

          "I agree. I'll light a lantern and Fang can come with us," Harry said.

          The three of us and Fang followed the spiders from the outside of Hagrid's hut.

          "They're going into the Forbidden Forest!" Ron said.

          "We have to follow them. I trust Hagrid," I said.

          "Why spiders? Why couldn't it be 'follow the butterflies'?" he whimpered.

          I took Ron's hand, "Ron, you are brave. Let's go together and I'll hold your hand."

          His voice quivered, "Ok."

          Harry led the way with the lantern and Fang was beside him. Ron and I held hands and stayed close behind them. There were thousands of spiders around us and taking refuge in the forest. We came into a wide empty area of the forest and the entire area was covered in webbing. I hated the feeling of webbing and squeezed Ron's hand. He was trying to be brave and whimpered a little when we noticed the spiders increasing in size. Suddenly, a loud and low voice came from a cave. It was Aragog.

          "Hagrid? Is that you?" Aragog asked.

          "N-No. We're friends of Hagrid," Harry answered.

          An enormous Acromantula emerged from the cave. His legs were twice the length of our heights. The size of his eyes were easily the same size as our heads. We couldn't see his whole body but I held Ron quickly when I saw bigger spiders behind us. Harry and Aragog were talking and I felt Ron turn to his left. I looked up from his chest and saw spiders as large as us creeping along fallen logs covered in webs. His arms wrapped around my back and he was whimpering to get Harry's attention.

          "H-Harry," he squeaked.

          "Shush!" Harry scolded and continued talking to Aragog.

          I looked up and my grip on Ron's shirt tightened. Ron also looked up and we were horrified. He grabbed Harry's sleeve and Fang hid behind our legs.

          "Harry!" he squealed.

          "What?!" Harry yelled.

          We whimpered and pointed up at the tens of spiders coming down to us. Harry tried to leave but Aragog apologized for stalling. He and his mate, Mosag, bred an entire colony and they needed to eat. The spiders were as large as Fang and started to surround us. Despite Fang's barking, we couldn't scare them off. There were too many and we stood back to back in a circle. Harry lost the lantern when he was swinging it. There was only one spell that we could use but Ron's wand was still broken and it wasn't going to scare off an entire colony.

          When all hope was lost, bright lights forced back some of the spiders. It was Mr. Weasley's car! The car drove to us and opened its doors. Harry took the driver's seat and Fang stole the passenger seat. Ron shoved me into the back seat and I pulled him onto me. The car drove in reverse and Ron and I were stuck in our position from the constant motion of the driving. He was lying on top of me. From what I could feel, spiders fell off the car when we went uphill and the car stopped. Ron sat up in the back seat and pulled me up so I could sit. I looked around and we were in an open area with tall trees.

          We sighed a breath of relief. In an instant, I screamed as a massive acromantula attacked Ron from his open window. I pulled out my wand and waited for an opening. I can't risk hurting Ron.

          "Arania Exumai!" I screamed.

          A blinding white light emitted from my wand and a burst of wind forced the acromantula off of Ron. It landed on its back yards away from us. Ron hugged me and thanked me but he kept hold of me. I looked up and in view, acromantulas were coming out of Aragog's lair towards us. Harry drove us as fast as he could until we reached Hagrid's hut. The car launched out Harry and Ron while he was holding me while Fang was let out. I landed on top of Ron.

          "Oh, I'm sorry!" I apologized and pulled him up.

          "It's ok, Ive! Are you alright?" he said and checked my face and arms.

          I blushed, "I-I'm fine. Harry, are you ok?"

          "Oh! Aragog told me so much! Let's get inside before we're seen!" Harry exclaimed.

          Inside, Harry was full of so much energy and was pacing. Ron and I sat next to each other in Hagrid's massive chair. Harry told us that Aragog said a girl was murdered in a bathroom fifty years ago but the monster was something that they feared and never spoke its name. We decided to go back to the castle and the boys dropped me off first. I hugged them goodnight and went to bed after changing into my pajamas.