In an instant, the leaf-covered forest floor was filled with the clicking, crunching sounds of chewing.
The corpse of the dead spider hadn't even gone cold before its kin swarmed over and devoured it completely.
As the spiders indulged in their grotesque feast, with the body of their own kind as the main course, Daphne and the others—guided by Harry—arrived at the spider nest and witnessed the entire scene with their own eyes.
"What the..."
"Ugh.."
Disgust was written all over their faces.
"How could something like this exist in the Forbidden Forest?"
"No idea, but it looks like they've been breeding here for quite some time," Astoria guessed, judging by the size of the hollow.
"Look!" Daphne suddenly cut off their conversation and motioned for them to look toward the "feast."
A wisp of black smoke rose from the spider's corpse, drifting toward another large Acromantula and clinging to its body. The spider trembled a few times, and then a grotesque human face surfaced on its back.
The other spiders, caught up in their frenzied feeding, didn't notice the transformation occurring on their companion—or maybe they didn't care. After all, spiders that became hosts like this one would soon die and become the next course on the menu!
"This must be the 'evil' Harry mentioned, right? It definitely looks like a serious problem," Hermione said with a frown.
If, before witnessing this scene, she had still harbored some doubts about Harry's warning, the appearance of that black smoke erased them completely. Now, she fully believed what Harry had said.
What could possibly be more evil than this?
"If we just destroy that thing, it should be fine, right?" Daphne's hand tightened around her wand beneath her robes.
"It might work. Worth a try," Astoria supported her sister's suggestion.
Without any further hesitation, Daphne raised her hand and cast a powerful offensive spell, striking the possessed spider right in the abdomen.
Its belly exploded like a watermelon, the fatal wound killing it instantly. From the spider's remains, a cloud of black mist rose and shot rapidly toward the large web at the center of the hollow.
Clearly, Daphne's spell hadn't truly harmed the creature—it had only killed the spider it was possessing.
"We need to enter the nest and find the true form of that black mist!" Astoria, observing the behavior of the mist, quickly deduced how they might deal with it.
"Forget the black mist for now, worry about what's in front of us!" Hermione's anxious voice came from the side.
Daphne's spell had the same effect as dropping ice into hot oil—it sent the entire hollow into a frenzy. Hundreds of spiders clicked their massive pincers and surged toward the source of the spell.
Looking down from the edge of the hollow, the swarm of spiders was like an unstoppable tide.
"Should we retreat for now?" Astoria estimated the number of spiders and began to feel that things were getting out of hand. She suggested they use the Disillusionment Charm to hide their presence, escape first, and come up with a long-term plan later.
"Nah, we only have one option—Attack!" Daphne immediately rejected Astoria's proposal. She didn't believe the Disillusionment Charm could fool these spiders. It was an optical invisibility spell—it couldn't mask body heat, scent, or the vibrations caused by movement. Against this horde, using only a Disillusionment Charm was no better than standing there fully visible.
Seeing her sister had decided to fight, Astoria stopped considering other options. She immediately cast a Shield Charm in front of the trio, creating a semi-transparent barrier, while Daphne followed up by launching a series of offensive spells that blew apart the approaching spiders.
It was only then that Hermione, standing behind the two sisters, finally snapped out of her daze. Her lack of combat experience had left her stunned at first, not even realizing that her companions had already decided to engage in battle with the spiders.
Now that the fight was in full swing, she finally drew her wand as if waking from a dream, inwardly scolding herself: Hermione Granger, what are you doing? Don't hold everyone back!
"Impedimenta!"
"Confringo!"
A barrage of spells shot from Hermione's wand like a chain of firecrackers, raining down on the "ocean" of spiders.
Some spiders were knocked over, others were frozen in place only to be trampled by those swarming from behind. But in the face of such a massive horde, her spells felt like they hadn't even made a dent.
In just a few short seconds, several carriage-sized spiders had already climbed to the edge of the depression, less than ten feet away from the trio. Daphne and the others could clearly see the black bristles on their long legs and the glistening black eyes staring at them.
Boom!
Daphne unleashed a stored spell from the necklace she wore, instantly clearing a straight path through the sea of spiders. Every Acromantula in the line of the spell was reduced to fragments.
The spider swarm halted momentarily.
From above, Harry had the clearest view of everything. He saw with his own eyes how the dark, swarming mass of spiders had been split by a grayish-white path. He was stunned by the power of that spell—so this is what a real magical battle looks like! Compared to this, the dueling club's sparring sessions felt like mere child's play.
But the spell Daphne had used was limited in number—if this was their only method of fighting back, then defeat was inevitable. Daphne understood this clearly. She knew she had to find a more efficient way to deal with the Acromantulas.
Then, her eyes caught sight of the web-entangled fallen leaves scattered in the depression. A bold idea sparked in her mind.
"These spells alone won't do—set it on fire!" she shouted, taking advantage of the momentary hesitation in the spider horde to try out her new idea.
"Neii~he~he~~"
At her command, the nightmare steed began to gallop around the edge of the depression. Wherever it passed, the dried branches, fallen leaves, and spiderwebs mingled among them all caught fire. In no time, a semicircle of flames was blazing around the depression.
A gleam of joy flashed across Daphne's face: just as she had anticipated—these spiderwebs feared fire!
"We'll drive the fire down into the pit—burn this entire spider nest to ashes!" Daphne's pupils reflected the blaze as she made a decision that bordered on madness.
Just imagining the sunken hollow transformed into a sea of flames, with thousands of spiders writhing within it—even Astoria couldn't help but shiver.
Perhaps sensing the threat of the fire, the spider swarm stirred once again. They began organizing a second wave of attack, attempting to forcefully extinguish the flames spreading along the edge of the depression.
Of course, Daphne and the others weren't about to let the spiders succeed. The two sides were quickly locked in another fierce struggle.
But as the deadlock dragged on, the fire at the edge of the pit only grew stronger. What had begun as scattered ignition points gradually linked together, forming a continuous line, and then—an entire wall of fire.
"I have a spell that can push the flames down into the pit. Let me handle it next!" said Hermione. Her face was pale, but she had made her decision. The monster hidden within the spider nest had to be destroyed.
Just then, the spiders' offensive abruptly stopped again. Every single Acromantula began emitting a strange sound—if one listened closely, it almost sounded like they were chanting a name.
[Aragog!]
[Aragog!]
[Aragog!]
The name echoed throughout the entire hollow.
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