After leaving the Ministry of Magic, Aiden went to Knockturn Alley again, where he selected two wizards with slightly cleaner identities. After paying their fines, he had them serve as managers of his shop, responsible for controlling the financial movements of the Prewett family's properties.
Just as Aiden was running his errands, back at Hogwarts, Ron and Harry followed Hagrid's advice and ventured into the Forbidden Forest.
That night, carrying oil lamps, they arrived at Hagrid's hut. Outside, a line of spiders marched purposefully toward the dark woods.
"My goodness," Ron's voice was sharp and hoarse. "The spiders are going into the Forbidden Forest."
"Have you forgotten Hagrid's instructions?" Harry replied, picking up his lamp. "Follow the spiders."
"Why spiders?" Ron complained. "Why didn't he say 'follow the butterflies'?" But he still followed.
Inside the Forbidden Forest, Harry suddenly turned his head and saw a pair of vertical pupils staring at him from the shadows. "Careful, Ron, something's coming!" he yelled, tugging at Ron, and the two of them fell to the forest floor together.
"Hahaha, you two are really interesting," a crisp, female voice came from the branches above. A leopard-print cat with strange patterns on its body leaped down from a tree.
"Lada?" Ron quickly recognized his brother's cat. "Wait, how can you talk?" he asked, his eyes wide with horror.
"Oh, Ronny, you're no fun," a human-like, teasing expression appeared on Lada's face. "We've lived together for so many years. Does not opening my mouth really mean I can't talk?"
"Okay, Ron, don't be afraid of her," Harry comforted him. "She once helped me."
"But... she is... my mum said..."
"Your mum said, 'don't trust anything that has magic unless you know where its brain is,'" Lada finished Ron's sentence for him.
"Yes, that's it," Ron said, slapping his head.
"This is really hurting my feelings, Ronny. We've lived together for so long."
Lada was still joking around, but Harry had lost patience. "Okay, Ron, trust Aiden. He won't hurt you. Besides, we still need to find clues about the Chamber of Secrets," Harry said.
"Yes, the Chamber of Secrets," Ron agreed, his focus shifting.
The two boys and one cat began to walk deeper into the Forbidden Forest.
"Harry, I really don't like this," Ron's voice was tearful. "Can we go back?"
"Come quickly." Harry pulled Ron along, following the spiders into a cave. On the way, a spider tried to pounce on Lada, but she crushed it with a single, powerful swipe of her paw.
Harry and Ron went deep into the cave and into the heart of the Forbidden Forest, where they stopped in front of a deep, dark pit. A huge, monstrous shape suddenly stirred within it. "Who's there?" a raspy voice boomed. "Hagrid, is that you?" A giant spider crawled out of the pit.
"We are Hagrid's friends," Harry said, taking two steps back from the huge creature. "Are you Aragog?"
"Yes," the spider replied. "Hagrid has never brought anyone here before." Aragog's eight eyes were covered with a thick, white haze; it was clear he had severe cataracts.
"Hagrid is in trouble," Harry said. "They say he opened the Chamber of Secrets."
"Okay, there's no need to waste any more time," Lada suddenly said, stepping forward. "The reason you're dragging your feet like this is to wait for your children to surround us, right?" The surrounding spiders had already blocked their retreat, and Lada could easily read Aragog's undisguised malice.
"Oh, don't you want to know about the Chamber of Secrets?" Aragog was still stalling for time.
"Hmph." Lada launched a wave of pure, draconic deterrence, and the surrounding spiders were forced back. Aragog, too, fell into a panic. Lada then grabbed Harry's oil lamp and threw it in front of the giant spider, the fire illuminating its eight white eyes. She rushed forward nimbly and slapped Aragog's head with her paw, instantly reading the knowledge she needed from its mind.
"Let's go, you two," Lada called, jumping back and urging Ron and Harry to evacuate.
"But we haven't—" Harry, ever courageous, was still thinking about getting information.
"Hurry up and get out of here!" Lada rolled her eyes. "I've already got it."
"Go?" Aragog's deep voice rumbled. "I don't think so. My children will not harm Hagrid because of my orders, but if fresh meat is delivered to their door, I cannot stop them." The deterred spiders resumed their advance, surrounding them.
"Can I be scared now?" Ron's terror had completely overwhelmed Harry's own.
Harry took out his wand and stood back-to-back with Ron. "Quickly, use the magic Aiden taught you!"
"No, I'm too scared!" Ron's voice was trembling. "I can't enter the casting state!"
"Ah, Ronny, really," Lada sighed. "I'm going to complain to Aiden when I get back." She rolled her eyes and used her chaos ability on the surrounding spiders, disorienting them.
"I wish I could go back," Ron whimpered.
"There are too many of them!"
"I'll open a path for you!" Lada shouted to the two of them. "Then you run!"
The patterns on Lada's body began to emit a faint light. If one looked closely, they could see the shape of the Kenaz (ᚲ) rune within them. "Meow!" A long, powerful cat howl echoed through the forest as the rune representing the flame of Kenaz was activated. A wave of cyan fire swept around, centered on Lada, and the spiders that were caught in the flames were quickly burned to ashes. The dry summer wood, coupled with the arson of a certain kitten, quickly ignited a forest fire.
Lada led Harry and Ron out, the flames automatically opening a passage for them. Before leaving, she deliberately controlled a jet of fire to ignite Aragog himself. Finally, carrying her two burdens, Lada rushed to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. The fire, having lost her magical support, was instantly extinguished, leaving only ruins and broken walls in the Acromantula's habitat.
Ron, having escaped the Forbidden Forest, leaned on one of Hagrid's giant pumpkins and vomited non-stop. "Follow the spiders, follow the spiders..." he moaned between retches. "I'm going to be sick all over his most precious pumpkin patch."
Lada gave him a disdainful look. Harry, however, couldn't be bothered with Ron's nausea and hurriedly asked, "Okay, Lada, tell us quickly! What did you find out?"
"The big spider's mind is full of eating and reproduction," she explained, "but when he escaped from the castle fifty years ago, he sensed the aura of the Acromantula's natural nemesis—the Basilisk. Also, fifty years ago, a girl lost her life in the presence of that nemesis." Lada did not make things difficult for Harry and told him the truth.
"I see," Harry breathed, the pieces falling into place. "I understand. The monster in the Chamber of Secrets is a Basilisk."
[Chapter Complete]
***
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