Hermione drained her energy drink, her mind sharpening with renewed focus. If Luna believed there was something unusual about this matter, it was best to treat it seriously.
Luna had pointed out that the tiny spiders seemed to be leading the way, and they appeared ravenous, as though they wanted to devour them. Viewed separately, these observations might seem amusing.
But when pieced together with key information, the implications became chilling.
The small spiders were no match for humans in size, even children. However...
...what if they were replaced by colossal spiders—large enough to swallow a child whole?
Hermione knew all too well that lurking in the Forbidden Forest beside Hogwarts were Acromantulas, creatures capable of such horrors.
These Class 5 magical beasts were venomous, carnivorous, and inherently vicious. When starved, they even turned on their own kind. Their average body length exceeded thirteen feet.
Their size was imposing enough, and their danger was undeniable.
Could Luna's claim about the small spiders' guiding behavior be connected to the Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest?
It was a wild conjecture, but when combined with the anomalies on the ceiling, her own knowledge, Luna's extraordinary senses, and undeniable facts, Hermione concluded that it was prudent to prepare for the worst—
The Acromantula colony in the Forbidden Forest might have, for some reason—likely hunger, though Hermione couldn't fathom why—decided to revolt and launch an attack on Hogwarts, turning it into a feast of human flesh.
The thought sent shivers down Hermione's spine. Who knew how many Acromantulas lurked in the vast and mysterious Forbidden Forest? Even Professor Dumbledore and the others might not be able to eliminate them all in a short time.
If this worst-case scenario became reality...
"At the very least, we must prevent the Acromantulas from approaching Hogwarts Castle. The professors should intercept and eliminate them at the forest's edge. Otherwise, they might expend too much energy protecting the students."
Whether this was true or not, Hermione had to inform the professors.
Stowing away the empty glass, Hermione hurriedly led Luna to Snape's side, who was currently impatiently instructing Neville.
"Professor Snape, I need to speak with you about something!"
Hearing Hermione's soft call, Snape paused his guidance and turned slightly, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.
"Speak."
"Look at the ceiling."
Hermione pointed to the ceiling, which now seemed to have even more small spiders.
She shared her discoveries, Luna's feelings, and her own speculations with Snape, without hiding anything from Neville. Her voice was clear enough for both of them to hear.
Snape's brows visibly furrowed, his expression darkened further, but he didn't immediately scold Hermione for speaking nonsense. He knew this meticulous young witch wouldn't draw conclusions without evidence. As for the Ravenclaw girl's intuition, he set it aside for now. If Hermione believed there was something to it, then there must be a traceable reason.
The most efficient approach was for him to immediately head to the Forbidden Forest to investigate.
"Go inform Professor Flitwick and let him decide what to do. I'll head to the Forbidden Forest."
With that, Snape didn't hesitate. His body transformed into a cloud of black smoke, avoiding everyone's sight as he darted out of the Great Hall.
"Neville, go notify Draco to gather the Gryffindor and Slytherin students together, then find the prefects from other houses. Keep this potentially false news under wraps for now. Just say Professor Flitwick wants everyone to assemble. Luna…"
"I'll find Prefect Penelope."
Luna smiled and willingly took on the task, while Neville, after a brief shock, quickly focused. He nodded solemnly at Hermione and dashed toward Draco.
No joke—he was all too aware of how terrifying those creatures were. Regardless of the situation's truth, preparing in advance was the right choice.
Seeing that Neville understood the matter, Hermione nodded toward Luna and ran toward Professor Flitwick.
"'Full Body-Bind Curse' must be continuous to—"
"Professor Flitwick!"
Professor Flitwick was patiently explaining a mistake to a young witch when Hermione's voice interrupted him.
But instead of being angry, he noticed Hermione's urgency and turned to ask.
"What's the matter, Hermione?"
"I…"
But before Hermione could voice her speculation, the girl felt faint tremors beneath her feet. Her face turned pale.
It seemed her guess was correct.
Professor Flitwick also felt the vibrations from the ground and immediately looked at Hermione. This young witch's urgency must be related to this matter.
"No time to explain, Professor. Please gather the students in the center of the Great Hall!"
"Understood."
Without asking further questions, Professor Flitwick immediately followed Hermione's directive, using a Sonorous Charm to halt all ongoing duels.
"Students, cease your duels and gather in the center of the hall immediately!"
Hermione seized the opportunity while the students were gathering to quickly explain the situation to Professor Flitwick.
When she finished, Hermione had never seen such a shocked expression on Professor Flitwick's face.
At that moment, Snape returned from his reconnaissance, materializing and striding toward Professor Flitwick.
"The Acromantulas are rapidly approaching Hogwarts. It looks like their entire colony is on the move. Hagrid and his dragon are already in the sky, trying to block their advance. When I left, Dumbledore was heading to the Forbidden Forest. Their numbers are vast, and they won't be delayed for long by just the two of them."
"Professors, you must assist Dumbledore and Hagrid. We can't let the Acromantulas approach Hogwarts. We'd only burden you."
"But we can't leave you unattended. If any slip through…"
Professor Flitwick's expression was uncharacteristically serious. He would rather take on more pressure than leave the students alone in Hogwarts Castle.
But Hermione interrupted him.
"I'll call Glenn. With him and the other students, we'll be enough to protect ourselves."
The story isn't over...
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