As soon as they stepped into the territory of the Acromantulas, sunlight disappeared completely. Even the gaps between the intertwining branches were blocked by the tireless arachnids, who had stuffed them with the skins and bones of prey.
It reeked—putrid, decaying, cold. Almost exactly how those who'd never ventured into the Forbidden Forest imagined it.
Ron glanced around.
His earlier suspicion wasn't just a trick of mory. He rembered being here—with George and Fred—two years ago. Back then, this place hadn't been part of the spiders' territory. In fact, it had been far removed.
And now they'd expanded this far in just two years?
"Acromantulas are incredibly prolific creatures," Hagrid explained, waving his wand to clear a path through the webs. "A single breeding pair can lay at least a hundred eggs each ti, and they hatch in about six to eight weeks. They breed seven or eight tis a year—basically once every two months."
"Their lifespan is around sixty years. They start reproducing at five, and stop around fifty-five."
Ron started counting on his fingers.
He had gotten better at math over the years—thanks to Harry and Hermione. But exponential growth? He lost track before getting past the second generation.
Harry looked over at him. "Most importantly, the Forbidden Forest has no natural predators for them."
Acromantulas have very few enemies.
When small, birds of prey can eat them. But there are no such birds in the forest.
Once fully grown, their only predator is the basilisk.
And... the forest doesn't have one of those either.
An apex predator with no competition, rapid reproduction—it was a recipe for disaster.
The spiders had been creeping deeper and deeper into the forest.
Hagrid said nothing.
Neither did Harry. He stopped walking. A faint rustling filled the air, crackling softly through the trees. Even Hermione and Ron noticed it.
An Acromantula scuttled out, keeping its distance. "I rember you."
"You're the one who killed many of our kin!"
"And Aragog's friend..."
"The path ahead is our territory. Leave."
"We want to see Aragog," Harry said quietly.
"We know what you want," the spider replied, waving its pincers. "Aragog won't agree to your terms. Neither will we."
"A pact?"
"aningless."
"Who knows what tricks you wizards will pull."
Harry drew his wand.
The Acromantulas skittered back in alarm. "What are you doing—attacking us, human?!"
"No. Just letting you know this is no longer your land," Harry said calmly, pulling a handful of seeds from his pocket and scattering them.
A flick of his wand. An incantation.
The seeds hit the ground, rooted instantly, then sprouted and grew. Vines broke through the webs, enveloping the corrupted trees, consuming the rotten skins and bones hanging from branches.
In a blink, light returned.
Moonlight poured through the cleared branches.
The forest was transford. The spell-grown plants had cleaned the area, devouring the webbing, covering the ground in fresh moss to hide the corrupted soil.
Ron and Hagrid stared in awe.
"What—what kind of spell is that?" Hagrid stamred, clutching his wand.
Ron nodded. He wanted to know too.
"Professor Sprout taught it last year in Herbology," Hermione reminded them.
Fifth-year magic? Hagrid frowned. He'd asked the professors to teach him upper-year spells—but he didn't rember this one.
Ron tried to recall it too.
"Wait, Hermione, do you an the Bonsai Spell?"
Hermione nodded.
The Bonsai Spell—important fifth-year material, since it could actually help in real-world jobs. But the way Harry used it... wasn't just trimming plants. He'd turned a corrupted stretch of forest into a sanctuary.
Ron drew his wand and tried to cast it on a tree.
The Acromantulas backed away, clearly unsettled by the cleanliness.
"Do you know where Aragog is?" Harry asked.
Hagrid nodded, stepping forward, holding up his lantern.
The spiders followed, more and more of them joining, lurking in the shadows.
None of the four showed fear.
Harry wasn't afraid. Even if there were more, he could handle it—the question was whether the forest could.
Hagrid trusted Aragog.
Hermione and Ron trusted Harry.
Half an hour later, they reached a den.
A massive Acromantula waited. "Hagrid, my dear friend..."
"I never thought we'd et again like this."
Its voice was calr than the others. Age had dulled its body but sharpened its mind.
Hagrid started to speak—
But Harry beat him to it. "Aragog?"
"Yes," the old spider answered.
"A nad Acromantula. I thought you'd be more... civilized," Harry said, stepping forward.
Eight glossy eyes reflected Harry's image. "Are we not civilized? We've lived in this forest for decades. We've never hard a Hogwarts student."
"Really?" Harry's tone remained flat. "Should I applaud you?"
"Not harming any Hogwarts student?"
He paused. "If only because you couldn't leave the forest."
"Or because you couldn't beat ."
Aragog twitched. "Young wizard, I've tried to restrain them. But you've killed so many of my children. You must expect retaliation."
"They attacked us first," Harry said softly.
Aragog's voice lowered. "They were playing."
"Acromantulas know how to play?" Harry smiled, turning to Hagrid. "Dear Professor Hagrid, maybe you should study that. Could make for a groundbreaking paper."
At the ntion of writing, Hagrid looked like he'd swallowed a Hippogriff egg.
Harry raised his wand at Aragog. "So, this is a formal invitation. Still refusing to make a pact?"
"Please allow to refuse," Aragog replied stiffly. "You've gone too far!"
"This is the Forbidden Forest!"
"It's not your place—"
Harry cut him off. "You've heard, haven't you? Rowena Ravenclaw did make a pact with the forest. Hogwarts won't interfere in its affairs."
"But you Acromantulas were never included."
"Out of respect for your friendship with Hagrid, I offer you this: Sign a pact. We'll give you a designated territory. You stay there—permanently."
The spiders chittered restlessly.
They could tell Harry wanted to shrink their range.
"Or..."
"Last ti I fought you was two years ago."
"Maybe it's ti you saw how much I've improved."
"I can fight. Or I can wait. Until you understand. Until you admit your mistake. Then we sign the pact."
Aragog grew uneasy. "You go too far, human!"
"So you've chosen the second option?" Harry raised his wand. Flas erupted into a small fiery griffin, circling above and lighting the clearing. "Are you sure?"
"No! Wizard!" Aragog cried.
"Then it's option one?" Harry didn't lower his wand. His voice went cold.
Aragog turned to Hagrid. "Please... let think. I must consider my kin."
"Hagrid, my dearest friend... give ti."
Hagrid looked torn. "Harry..."
"You're stalling," Harry said, cutting him off. He stared at Aragog, shocked. "You're stalling?"
"Why?"
Aragog looked away.
He was clever—but had only ever dealt with Hagrid. He lacked experience in human deception.
He was like a monitor screen, broadcasting all his thoughts.
"You've nothing to think about," Harry said, lowering his wand, thoughtful. "You know no matter how long you wait, the result will be the sa. Delaying is pointless—unless you're trying to escape."
"But that's impossible. You know the Ministry, Hogwarts, Dumbledore, and I won't tolerate Acromantulas wreaking havoc."
"Still, you want to stall."
"Why?"
Aragog remained silent.
"Legilins."
Harry raised his wand.
His ntal power plunged into Aragog's thoughts. mories surfaced, one by one. Harry picked one and unfolded it.
It was from over a year ago.
The mory was dark—darker than today. Aragog was eting a man in the forest.
"You're dangerous," Aragog said. "You're not here for venom. What do you want?"
"I an no harm," the pale, thin man replied. "But your children were... unruly. I had to draw your attention."
"I ca to propose sothing."
Aragog stared.
"You've had a hard ti in this forest, haven't you?" the man said. "Eating rats and birds... barely enough. That half-giant always limits you."
"This is my offering."
He waved his wand. A pouch at his waist opened.
A dozen corpses flew out.
n and won. All had one thing in common—the skin on their left arms had been burned away with acid, obscuring sothing.
"Flesh! Human flesh!" the spiders scread.
"Food!"
"Help yourselves," the man said, stepping aside.
The spiders pounced, leaving Aragog the two fattest bodies.
"What do you want?" Aragog's tone softened.
The man looked up. "Freedom."
"Freedom from confinent."
"Freedom to feast."
Aragog shook his head. "Impossible. Hagrid won't allow it. Nor will that white-bearded wizard or the cat-eyed girl."
"My master will allow it," the man whispered, full of allure.
"Let's work together."
"Hogwarts made a pact with the forest—but you are an exception. You can enter the castle anyti. The students... are your prey."
Aragog hesitated.
The man nodded. "Of course, I understand. Dumbledore and Potter are obstacles."
"But my master will deal with them soon."
"All he needs... is a little help."
"Will you join us?"
Aragog looked at the two corpses at his feet. Their stench filled his hairs with that delicious, sweet sll.
After a long mont, Aragog asked, "How?"
"When you see this mark in the sky," the man said, casting a tiny symbol—a black skull with a serpent slithering from its mouth.
"The Dark Mark."
Aragog chittered, dragging the bodies under himself. "If that white-bearded wizard and the cat-eyed girl are still at Hogwarts, we will not leave the forest."
The man smiled. "Don't worry. Everything will go smoothly."
His pale face curled into a sinister grin.
And Harry, watching the mory unfold, recognized him—
It was Barty Crouch Jr.
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