Chapter 32: Killing the Spider
The next day, in the study.
Alexander looked through Penelope's letter. It seemed unremarkable at first—just a few simple magical queries in his opinion. At the end, she mentioned that instead of returning to Hogwarts, she had gone straight home from Hogsmeade Station to spend Christmas.
"It seems yesterday was premeditated," Alexander nodded slightly.
He picked up his quill, responded to Penelope's questions with insight, and added a warm holiday blessing. After sealing the envelope, he handed it to Jack, his house-elf, to be sent by owl post.
After a quick breakfast and changing into a simple outfit, Alexander prepared to head into the Forbidden Forest—this time, personally.
He had planned to scout the area the day before, but that had been derailed by a rather pleasant surprise. Still, no harm done—he had completed his transformation into a phoenix back at Hogwarts. Now, he wanted to explore the forest more thoroughly.
There were several inaccessible locations on the west side of the Forbidden Forest:
First, the centaurs' territory, nestled near the rock walls behind the mountain. As one of the largest groups in the forest, they made the area strictly off-limits. Known for their expert archery and hunting skills, they even made the skies dangerous for flying creatures. The moss-covered cliff wall was nearly unscalable, with only teleporting birds like the Shieldbeak able to pass safely. Even hippogriffs couldn't land there.
Second, the Acromantula lair—a deep, sunless depression in the forest. To reach it, one had to walk past a large sycamore near Hagrid's hut until the ground began to slope downward. The clearing was encased in thick mist and webs as dense as domes, each crawling with massive spiders, hairy and dark, as large as cart-horses.
Third, a peaceful clearing by the central stream, filled with yew, oak, poison-thorn grass, and two-eared grass. It was home to unicorns and Thestrals—gentle, magical herbivores.
Fourth, the deepest, darkest reaches, where a reclusive werewolf colony resided. They avoided all intelligent contact and lived in secret, building enclosures for the full moon and only making their presence known through distant howls.
Alexander's destination was the cliff wall. There were several blind spots there, just large enough—about a square meter—where even the centaurs' eyes couldn't reach. With martial arts skills and flight, it was a perfect training spot and offered a beautiful view of the Forbidden Forest.
"Break into shards! Full obstruction! Shatter! Thunderburst! Invisibility Blade! Avada devours the melon!" Alexander chanted internally, casting an array of spells as beams of magic surged into the sky.
Caught in the rhythm of his power, he hovered mid-air, eyes alight.
"Avada devours the melon!"
A blinding green flash surged out, too intense to look at directly. It was followed by the sound of air splitting and an invisible force tearing through the sky. One of the monstrous spiders flipped over and landed lifelessly on the rocks, unmarked but very clearly dead.
By evening, Alexander had foregone food, immersed in spellwork. Despite the strain, his energy remained high. The fiery red aura of magic still clung to him. When he finally stopped, the cliffside was littered with spider corpses.
"Jack, we're having crab for dinner," Alexander said as he returned to the castle, straightening his collar.
"Yes, Master," replied Jack, appearing from the air.
A while later, while eating crab roe noodles, Alexander sighed with satisfaction. "Truly satisfying. Continuous output feels amazing."
It was the first time Alexander truly felt the depth of his own power. The Acromantulas—creatures even Hagrid feared—fell one after another. If he chose to flash and spam Avada Kedavra repeatedly, he could wipe out the Ministry of Magic in under an hour.
He raised his long, pale fingers and stared at them silently.
"So invincible... do I really need to return to school in four years?"
"Why not? Wouldn't a full-immersion Harry Potter experience be even more interesting?"
"At the very least, Voldemort won't get another chance to take innocent lives."
"Still... my Avada Kedavra isn't even level 5 yet. I shouldn't lower my standards just because the current wizarding world is weak. What will the spell look like at level 7? Or level 8?"
"Master, would you like some vinegar for your crab?" Jack asked in broken English.
"No need," Alexander answered coolly.
Returning to his pink-toned bedroom, he changed into pajamas and lay in bed with closed eyes.
Unknowingly, three months passed—and it was already March 3rd.
Easter. A two-week holiday was beginning. "If only I had this many breaks in my previous life," Alexander mused as he read Kate's letter announcing the break.
Suddenly mischievous, he drafted a reply filled with gentle sarcasm, reminding her that exams were coming in June and she should revise to avoid regrets.
This was, after all, a classic Kate problem. She was quirky and unfocused, her Transfiguration grades were especially poor.
She could joke with every professor—even Snape—but feared Professor McGonagall the most due to her weak performance in Transfiguration.
Alexander chuckled imagining Kate's pouty face as she read his advice.
But realistically, she probably wouldn't take it seriously—there were still two months till exams, and procrastinating was a scumbag student's specialty.
"Hmm... better to send this to Penelope instead. Top students like her are the ones who actually care. She'll probably write back with a study plan, and then Kate won't be able to escape, haha."
After correcting the letter and finishing the last of his crab noodles, Alexander crossed himself dramatically and prayed for Kate, who would now be dragged into studying during her holiday.
Poor girl.
Donning a plain wizarding robe, he returned to the Forbidden Forest to train again.
Rain or shine, he never missed a day.
And now…
Spiders, your emperor has returned.
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