The girls began the journey back without hesitating too much, actually feeling considerably calmer and more relaxed for doing so. In truth, this incursion into the Forbidden Forest hadn't been the thrilling, adrenaline-filled adventure that some had imagined… well, there had been excitement, but not exactly pleasant.
Of course, for certain individuals, the trip had proven useful. Lavender kept writing in her small notebook, eagerly scribbling down every detail she intended to turn into a story.
"So, trapped in the middle of the forest, the monsters that stalked us dragged us one by one to their eerie lair to turn us into food… or perhaps something worse…" she murmured, not caring much whether the others heard. As Red had advised, she didn't say aloud the darker parts of her thoughts; what she recited now was innocent enough.
"Lavender, that didn't happen," Parvati sighed, rolling her eyes at her friend's notes. "If you're going to write our story, at least make it real."
"A good book needs embellishment to be attractive," Lavender replied, convinced of her own logic.
"Well, better that those things only happen on your pages and not in reality," Penelope commented, though inwardly she wondered exactly what Lavender would write. Knowing her 'previous works,' she was sure that the 'other things' would end up being anything but suitable for minors.
"It could happen," Lavender said matter-of-factly, unaware of how close to the truth she was.
In fact, Lavender had a very peculiar talent, one that Red had already pointed out in the past.
—Flashback—
"So, Ronald, far from the affection of his faithful partner-in-mischief, Harry… decided to return to his quarters, where his rat Scabbers awaited him. But upon arriving, the rat transformed into a handsome yet vulgar adult man, ready to offer love to that little red-haired flower. For in reality, he was a fugitive Animagus, taking refuge with the small boy… and what was born between them was a pure love… a sexual love… homo… sexual…" I read aloud the manuscript with a dismayed expression, then lifted my gaze to fix my eyes on its author.
"What do you think?" Lavender asked, smiling proudly and awaiting critique. "You've seen your brother naked, right? You could give me details to make the scene more realistic."
"Lav…" I said, taking a long moment to choose the right words. But all I could manage to articulate was: "I'll just say that you better sign up for Divination next year… it would be a waste of talent if you didn't."
—End of flashback—
...
More than an hour and a half passed, and the expressions of terror on the girls' faces could no longer be hidden. The sky remained the same orange-tinted hue, like a suspended sunset, and the webs didn't thin. On the contrary, they sometimes seemed to multiply. They were sure they had taken the same path back… yet they didn't pass through the same places again.
"What's happening?" Tracey exclaimed, unable to hide the fear in her voice.
"Something's wrong…" murmured Astoria, hugging herself.
"We're lost…" said Susan, her voice a whisper that chilled them all.
They had stopped, forming a small circle, watching their surroundings with growing desperation. The forest, which had initially seemed imposing but serene, had now transformed into a living trap. The silence weighed like lead, and every shadow seemed to mock them. None of them, neither the bravest nor the eldest, felt that this was still under control.
"I… I'm going to fly to see where we are," Cho said, no longer able to bear the sensation of walking in circles.
She didn't wait for anyone's approval. She transformed into a swallow and rose into the sky, flapping her wings desperately to clear the dense treetops. But just as she reached higher altitude, a swift shadow descended upon her, violently ramming her. A sharp birdlike screech tore through the air.
"CHO!" they all shouted in unison, watching their friend plummet not far from them.
Penelope reacted immediately: she transformed into her Animagus form and flew at full speed to the impact site. The others ran behind, fearing the worst.
Upon arriving, they found a horrifying scene. A creature resembling a snake, but with spider legs and membranous wings, coiled around Cho's tiny body. Its fangs sank into its prey as it squeezed with monstrous force to suffocate her.
Luckily for Cho, she couldn't maintain her Animagus form. When she reverted to her human body, the monster's constriction loosened for a moment.
"Flipendo!" Daphne shouted, casting a spell that struck the creature, tearing it from Cho and sending it rolling away.
The girls ran to lift their friend. Cho's face was twisted in pain; she felt her bones had nearly broken. Her arms seemed fractured, and upon inspection, they noticed two bleeding marks on her back, where the beast's fangs had bitten.
"Cho, are you okay?!" Hermione asked, desperate.
"No… my back… it burns…" Cho whispered, trembling as if something was burning beneath her skin.
"Poison!" Padma exclaimed, horrified. "What was that thing?"
"Did it escape? It looked like a snake with legs!" Tracey replied nervously.
"We need to get her to the infirmary," Penelope said, standing beside Cho and offering her support.
At that moment, a sudden movement made Pansy spin around, raising her wand with sharp reflexes.
"Flipendo! Reducto!" she shouted, casting two spells at once.
A white-and-red figure, which had silently approached them, was repelled and shattered under the force of the spells. It was a strangely colored spider, light and fragile, but incredibly stealthy.
"Girls… we're not alone anymore," Parvati said, her voice trembling, just as the entire forest seemed to come alive, vibrating with an unsettling noise that foreboded nothing good.
"Protego Totalum!" conjured Penelope, raising a protective shield over the younger girls. It was soon tested: several of those winged, legged snakes fell from the branches, snapping their jaws and fluttering like living nightmares.
"What are those things?! They're not acromantulas!" Ginny shouted, already casting curses quickly as soon as the shield dissipated.
The girls formed a circle, covering each other while casting spells at the creatures. They were small, fast, and difficult to hit, but one by one, they fell under beams and explosions. Still, none of them felt safe.
Amid the chaos, Susan broke into tears.
"Girls…"
The girls looked around, suffocated by the sounds of the forest. No longer gentle whispers, it was now a constant, oppressive murmur, accompanied by the feeling of being watched from every direction. Some noticed shadows blending with the environment, approaching stealthily.
"RUN!" one of them shouted, fear in her voice.
They all ran in the direction they thought correct. Even Cho, despite her condition, was driven by adrenaline-fueled terror.
The forest ceased to be silent. As they ran, the hidden creatures emerged to chase them. Spiders—dozens, hundreds—appeared from all directions.
"Bombarda Maxima!" Penelope shouted, casting a spell behind her as she ran.
The explosion knocked down several creatures, but others remained unharmed, dodging or resisting the impact.
The girls ran until they faced a terrifying sight: in front of them, a stampede of watermelon-sized spiders blocked the path. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, advanced in mass. The horror intensified when they saw the skeleton of a centaur, devoured down to the bones.
Some girls went pale, others nearly fainted. One even lost control of her bladder. But amidst the panic, some reacted with courage.
"Incendio!" Ginny shouted, raising her wand.
Flames sprang forth, and soon several others conjured fire as well. A circle of fire surrounded the group. Behind them, the monstrous spiders screamed, agitated.
"What do we do?" Tracey cried, trembling. "I want my mom!"
"Look!" Parvati warned. "They stopped…"
The girls watched. For a few seconds, all the spiders seemed to look in the same direction. Then, as if crazed, they refocused on the girls, screaming even louder.
They charged toward the fire without hesitation, throwing themselves en masse. The smaller spiders were incinerated on contact, but their burning bodies became bridges for the others to advance.
"More fire!" Parvati ordered, sending new flames.
The group followed, but the situation worsened. Flying spiders descended on them, forcing some girls to halt their fire spells to fend them off. Other creatures passed through the flames engulfed in fire, becoming living projectiles that fell upon them before dying. Worse, a few crossed the fire unharmed, immune to the heat.
Spells rang out one after another:
—Diffindo!
—Reducto!
—Petrificus Totalus!
—Bombarda!
—Arania Exumai!
—Confringo!
—Depulso!
—Fractum Os!
—Glacius!
—Venom Morbus!
Bursts of light, explosions, and curses painted the darkness, some too dark for students to even speak of. But it wasn't enough.
Cho, at her limit, could no longer hold on. Her eyes were bloodshot, white froth oozing from them, and her veins blackened. Her body succumbed to the venom: she collapsed, paralyzed, eyes wide open.
Immediately, several spiders broke through the wall of fire and jumped on her, gripping her with their legs and dragging her into the darkness.
"CHO!" Hermione shouted, trying to push through the creatures. But other spiders blocked her path.
The group cried, shouting and sobbing, barely holding on thanks to the training that had kept them standing. Without it, they would have been frozen with terror.
Hermione couldn't process what was happening, and had no time to. A dog-sized spider knocked her down, and just as its fangs were about to reach her, Millicent, in her boar Animagus form, rammed the beast with force, saving her.
"Girls… we have to split up!" Penelope exclaimed, crying as she fought. "Everyone, run in your Animagus forms in different directions! Seek help!"
She herself knew it was a lie, that probably none would survive. But at least there was a chance that one might. She closed her eyes for a moment, regretting bringing them here.
Then, the ground shook. A gigantic spider, elephant-sized, pierced the flames. It advanced until it stood before Lavender and opened its enormous, wet mouth, revealing the black abyss within.
Lavender barely lowered her arms before the creature descended and swallowed her whole… Though the pressure wasn't enough to kill her immediately. Inside the spider's mouth, on the verge of being digested… discovering a new fetish.
"NEBULUS!" Penelope roared with all her strength.
A dense fog covered the area, and from it emerged animals and insects fleeing in all directions, trying to escape the spiders.
Some barely passed between the disoriented spiders, others didn't. The flying girls—Padma, Penelope, and Tracey—were intercepted by the flying spiders that had attacked Cho, creatures seemingly designed to hunt birds.
The girls who managed to escape could only keep running endlessly, hearing their friends' screams behind them. They were not out of danger, as the spiders continued to pursue them, though having split their forces to do so.
---///---
There are only three chapters because the Patreon support decreased. I'm not writing this to beg for money, but so you can understand the reason why I'm not uploading as many chapters. I don't want you to think I'm breaking my word without a reason.