Harry and Louis didn't speak in unison, but their reactions were exactly the same.
Both were: What the hell is that thing?!
The creature Fafnir had brought back was unmistakably an Acromantula. Harry didn't recognize what it was, but Louis did. That was a descendant of Hagrid's Acromantula—extremely venomous!
And venom alone wasn't the only threat. In the wild, it was said that these creatures could kill a wizard in an instant with a sneak attack. According to the Ministry of Magic's classification, it was a five-X rated magical beast—able to kill wizards and impossible to domesticate.
If that doesn't sound bad enough, just know it's rated on the same level as a Basilisk. The only reason it's slightly less deadly is because it doesn't blink, making it vulnerable to the Basilisk's stare. But for regular wizards or humans, the fact that it doesn't blink means it can continuously lock onto its prey, waiting for any opening.
Statistics showed that every wizard killed by these things died because of a successful ambush. If you were alone in the wild and ran into one, you were basically dead.
And you're calling that a small animal?
But how on earth did Fafnir even manage to catch such a dangerous creature?
Louis narrowed his eyes and studied Fafnir.
Fafnir's feathers were still glossy and smooth, with not a single scratch on him. Meanwhile, the Acromantula looked absolutely wrecked—some eyes were blinded, and several legs were missing.
High above, Fafnir's genetically enhanced talons had pierced the spider's back, rendering it completely helpless no matter how much it thrashed.
Seeing its master right below, Fafnir chirped in excitement, convinced it had done a marvelous deed. With a joyful screech, it hurled the half-dead spider downward—eager to please Louis.
"What the—?!"
Louis's heart dropped. That dumb bird was treating the Acromantula like a dead rat, chucking it down as if to say, Look what I got you!
But this was an Acromantula, damn it! The sight of its furry legs and blood-soaked eyes was enough to make anyone's skin crawl.
And of course, it wasn't dead yet. As it was being thrown, the blinded Acromantula started flailing its remaining limbs in a panic, spewing venom wildly in all directions.
Louis, who absolutely hated insects—especially spiders—broke out in goosebumps. Seeing Harry's terrified expression, Louis sighed. For Dumbledore's sake, he grabbed Harry and blinked them both out of harm's way with near-instant movement.
Harry blinked—literally. One moment he was there, the next he was somewhere else. And before he could process it, he saw Louis—usually so elegant and composed—raise his hand, conjuring a massive fireball.
"F* you, spider. Burn in hell!"
With a war cry that could shake the sky, the ever-graceful Louis hurled the fireball with righteous fury, right at the descending Acromantula.
Acromantula: I didn't even provoke you guys! Why the hell is this happening to me today?!
The unstable fireball slammed into the spider's body. An instant later, a massive explosion—powered by dragonfire incantations—engulfed the creature in roaring flames.
The fireball burst into brilliant light mid-air, illuminating the gloomy courtyard like a miniature sun.
Harry swallowed hard and glanced sideways at Louis, who had already returned to his usual elegant self.
Who would've thought Louis was scared of spiders just like Ron? Although their responses were vastly different: Ron would run—Louis would obliterate.
At this moment, Louis was way scarier than the spider.
Harry shivered.
As the flames faded, warm ashes drifted down from the sky like snow.
Louis let out a breath of relief as the Acromantula was reduced to nothing but ashes. Then he looked up—just in time to see Fafnir, feathers ruffled and a bit disoriented from the explosion, flutter back with a puzzled look.
"Fafnir! Get your ass down here!" Louis barked.
The poor eagle, still dazed from the blast, hesitated a moment before sheepishly flapping down and landing before Louis.
It clearly realized it had done something wrong. Head low, tail drooping, it crept forward with guilty eyes, occasionally glancing up at Louis like a child waiting to be scolded.
Louis didn't let it off the hook. He grabbed Fafnir by the base of its wing and hoisted it into the air, shaking it as he shouted, "I told you to catch something small! You trying to murder your master by bringing back an Acromantula?!"
Fafnir screeched indignantly, as if saying, But it looked kinda small!
"Small, my ass! I meant rats! Rabbits! Not freaking magical beasts!" Louis snapped, shaking it until its eyes were spinning.
He didn't stop because he was done scolding—it was because Professor McGonagall was rushing over. Along with her came several students drawn by the sound of the explosion.
"What happened here?" McGonagall asked urgently, eyes sharp. "Why was there an explosion just now?"
"Apologies, Professor," Louis stepped forward calmly. "My owl brought back an Acromantula from the Forbidden Forest. For our safety, I had to use a powerful spell to destroy it."
"You? You destroyed an Acromantula? Wait—that explosion was from you?" she asked in disbelief.
"Yes, Harry can confirm it," Louis said.
"And the Acromantula?" she asked tensely.
Acromantulas were notorious for surprise attacks. Leaving one alive near the school was a disaster waiting to happen.
"Um… what do you need it for?" Louis pointed at the ashes on the ground. "Right there. As you can see, I cleaned up quite nicely."
A breeze blew by, scattering the ashes—erasing the last trace of the Acromantula for good.
"You're sure your owl brought it from the Forbidden Forest and it wasn't just lurking near the castle?" McGonagall pressed on.
"Of course. I was training Fafnir's hunting instincts, told him to grab something small from the forest. Didn't expect him to bring back a full-blown Acromantula," Louis replied with a sigh.
Fafnir raised his head proudly, which earned him a light slap on the head from Louis. "No one's praising you."
Fafnir drooped again, totally dejected.
"Small animal?" McGonagall's face twitched.
You call an Acromantula… a small animal?!
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