Hogwarts Card System Chapter 168

Chapter 168: Aragog

“No! You can’t! Get out! Get out of my house!” Hagrid roared, more enraged than when he was about to be taken to Azkaban.

Lucius slightly raised his chin: “Of course we can! And you… well, let’s call it a house! I don’t want to stay here for another minute.”

Hagrid gritted his teeth: “If you drive Dumbledore away, the school will be bathed in blood!”

“That’s none of your business. You should serve your sentence in Azkaban!” Lucius said dismissively.

Ted looked at the old man’s expression and wondered if this guy already knew that the diary could open the Chamber of Secrets. But if he knew it was Voldemort’s Horcrux, he probably wouldn’t be so relaxed. What kind of expression would he have then?

Hagrid was helpless and turned to Dumbledore: “Dumbledore, you can’t go! You can’t!”

Dumbledore’s eyes were calm: “Hagrid, don’t be nervous. I will obey the orders of the Board of Governors, but the Headmaster of Hogwarts will not be dismissed so easily, unless no one in the school needs me anymore. In this school, as long as someone needs help, they will receive help!”

Dumbledore’s gaze swept towards the wall, where Ted and the others were hidden.

For a wizard of Dumbledore’s caliber, it was impossible to hide so close.

Clearly, the last sentence was directed at them.

Hagrid was led away, and Dumbledore departed with him.

Before leaving, Ted quickly used his psychic power to transmit a message to Hagrid: “Hagrid’s bracelet! The password for the bracelet is ‘Hear Me Roar’! Don’t forget, ‘Hear Me Roar’!”

Hagrid paused for a moment, put on the bearskin coat Ted had given him, walked to the door, and suddenly shouted, “If anyone is looking for something, follow the spiders to find the truth.”

Fudge and the others were startled, looking at Hagrid with expressions of disbelief.

Hagrid ignored them, muttering, “I hope someone will take care of Fang for me…”

The six sat around the round table, but Hagrid, who had been drinking tea with them just moments ago, was gone. Ted comforted the restless and whimpering Fang.

Jerry’s face was grim: “He was framed?! Hagrid was framed!”

Ted nodded: “Yes, I’m afraid the Ministry of Magic, who framed Hagrid, knows that better than we do.”

Neville looked bewildered: “But why? Why would they do that?”

Ted said calmly: “Because they don’t care who the culprit is. They just want a plausible reason to appease the public, so finding a scapegoat is enough. The one who frames you knows better than you how innocent you are.”

Hermione frowned tightly, “Oh, my! How disgusting! I used to want to work for the Ministry of Magic after graduation.”

Ron lowered his head and murmured, “Now… what do we do?”

Jerry suddenly stood up: “Hagrid just said, spiders! Follow the spiders!”

Hermione said: “He also told us to help him take care of Fang! When… when will he be back?” Hermione’s voice was already tearful.

Ted patted her head, “Don’t cry. Don’t worry, Hagrid will be fine.”

But even Harry couldn’t be optimistic, after all, Dumbledore had been driven away.

The six discussed for a while in the ownerless hunting lodge and decided to follow the spiders.

Indeed, there were some small spiders on Hagrid’s windowsill, now scurrying frantically out of the house.

Jerry murmured, “I think I’ve seen this scene before?”

That’s right, Ted, while grabbing things from the house that might be useful, urged his companions to hurry and follow: “In winter, you said you saw a group of spiders leaving the castle and running out into the freezing cold.”

…

Fang led the way, and the six, holding their wands for illumination, followed some small spiders into the Forbidden Forest.

After about ten minutes, Ted confirmed that they were heading towards the territory of the Acromantulas.

He couldn’t help but complain inwardly that Hagrid was always like this, always thinking that what wasn’t dangerous to him wasn’t dangerous to others, lacking the ability to put himself in others’ shoes.

These Acromantulas were man-eaters, and because Hagrid had found a mate for his pet back then, coupled with the gamekeeper’s favoritism, the number and territory of the Acromantulas were now enormous, practically the overlords of the Forbidden Forest!

Honestly, if it were any other young wizards, following the spiders would just lead them into the spiders’ stomachs.

Ted stopped: “Friends, I need to remind you to be prepared for a fight.”

“Ah? What do you mean?” Hermione asked strangely.

“What kind of things can live in the Forbidden Forest? And Hagrid’s beloved pets…” Ted’s reminder made his companions perk up. From dragons to three-headed dogs, Hagrid’s hobbies were truly bizarre.

Ted continued: “Actually, I’ve been here before…”

Hermione’s eyes instantly sharpened: “Didn’t we agree that we wouldn’t enter the Forbidden Forest without permission, and if anything happened, you’d take me with you?”

Ted realized he had let slip, and quickly added: “Don’t be angry, you know, I have some experiments that require things from the Forbidden Forest. And I only need a very short amount of sleep, I’m mainly worried that your lack of sleep will affect your classes the next day…” and affect your growth!

Now wasn’t the time to talk about that, Hermione just snorted softly, planning to remember this grudge for later.

Harry pressed: “You’ve been here before, so what? What’s here?”

Ted nodded: “I probably know what Hagrid raised back then.”

Jerry: “What is it?”

“Acromantulas!”

“Acromantulas?”

“That’s right, a very dangerous, very large, intelligent, even talking, man-eating giant spider!”

At the mention of spiders, Ron trembled all over, feeling his hair stand on end.

Ron stammered, “He almost sent me into a spider’s nest? When I see Hagrid again, I’m going to punch him hard! I swear I will!”

Neville also had a headache, “Alright, so should we continue now?”

The small spiders ahead were almost out of sight; if they didn’t catch up soon, they wouldn’t have to worry about this problem.

Ted said: “Keep up first!”

Harry also quickly said: “I have a plan!”

The other companions brightened and quickly urged Ted: “Ted, quickly tell us your plan!”

Harry: “I have a plan too! Will you listen to me?”

Companions: “Ted, what you said was good!”

Ted: I haven’t even spoken yet…

One should not harbor malicious intentions, but one must be vigilant against them. Especially when it comes to man-eating giant spiders.

Ted didn’t even tell them that Hagrid used to raise one, but now it was an entire colony. Otherwise, Ron would rather die, jump off a cliff, than take another step forward.

On the way, Ted and the others discussed a retreat plan. If the humans and spiders engaged in friendly negotiation, then they would assume they had misjudged the giant spiders. But if the other party had any ill intentions, then they wouldn’t be polite either!

With the headmaster gone from school, I can’t remember the school rules anymore!

They hurried on for another twenty minutes, already far from the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

Most of the trees here were scraggly, with black trunks and bare canopies, and some white spiderwebs clung to and drifted from the branches.

Ron’s legs were already weak. Seeing the spiderwebs made him think of spiders, and thinking of spiders made him think of those eight constantly moving legs, and then his own legs wouldn’t obey him.

Ron: “I… I have something to tell you, let’s not go any further, I’ll confess everything!”

But now a large pit had appeared before them.

It was enormous, like an abandoned mine shaft, about the size of two basketball courts, with a huge opening on the inner side of the pit.

Something rustled, trying to emerge from the cavern.

Under the dim moonlight, the six saw a giant spider much larger than a Jeep!

Its body was covered in needle-like black hairs, its eight legs were much thicker than a normal person’s thigh, and it had eight eyes on its head, but they were covered with a white film.

This creature was quite a bit larger than the Acromantula Ted had killed. Upon inspection:

Aragog, Magical Creature – Acromantula, Level 13 (- 5)…

Perhaps its level had dropped due to old age and blindness?

It seemed to know that someone had arrived, so it had emerged from its lair early. Was it the information brought by the small spiders?

Before Ted could ponder, the spider spoke: “Is that Hagrid?”

Before they could answer, it answered itself: “No, the scent is wrong. Who are you?”

Harry bravely called out: “We are Hagrid’s friends, he sent us to find you and ask about what happened in the castle fifty years ago.”

(End of Chapter)