Even though Louis had assured everyone that the Acromantula came from the Forbidden Forest, Professor McGonagall still organized a castle-wide search with the help of the available professors.
She even specifically asked Hagrid to invite Professor Silvanus Kettleburn, who lived near the Forbidden Forest, to help confirm the Acromantula's presence.
"Rest assured, Minerva," said Kettleburn after thoroughly inspecting the area. "There are no traces of Acromantula activity near the castle—not even tracks from the one that got blown to ashes. It really was carried in through the air."
Kettleburn rubbed his aching back. He was getting old. Once upon a time, he could run laps around mountains with magical creatures; now, even a few extra steps made him tired.
"I had long suspected that Acromantulas were in the forest," the old professor continued with a cough, "but since I hadn't seen them expand their territory, I figured I'd misjudged. Clearly, I hadn't."
Next to him stood Hagrid, looking very uneasy—not because of concern for the old professor, but because he was worried someone would discover the Acromantulas he'd been raising in the forest.
He had released a breeding pair—one male, one female—and now the forest was full of their offspring.
But he'd made sure to instruct his Acromantulas to keep their children in check. That's why, despite their tendency to expand territory, the population remained contained and hadn't spread elsewhere.
Well… maybe it was also because the Acromantulas had reached the limit of their abilities. After all, the Forbidden Forest didn't belong solely to them—it was home to a whole host of dangerous magical creatures.
Even though Acromantulas were lethal to wizards due to their stealth, they weren't all that intimidating to many thick-skinned, powerful magical beasts.
Not to mention… there was a Basilisk under Hogwarts. Most creatures didn't know that, but Hagrid's Aragog did—and he'd passed that knowledge to his brood. Basilisks were the natural enemies of Acromantulas. For the sake of their own survival, they wouldn't dare get close to Hogwarts Castle.
"So, can we consider this matter settled?" Professor Snape appeared, clearly annoyed.
He had been in the middle of brewing a potion when he was dragged out in a hurry. Who knew what had happened to his cauldron now?
"No immediate problems remain," McGonagall nodded. "But regarding Mr. Wilson…"
She glanced at Louis, who was casually chatting with Harry nearby.
"He destroyed the Acromantula, didn't he? Give him some points," Snape said without hesitation, not the slightest hint of shame.
"Fair enough," McGonagall agreed, and the other professors nodded in approval as well.
Louis had left a good impression on them with his class performance. He was a student they all quite liked.
Still, McGonagall felt he needed a warning.
As the professors dispersed—eager to return to their hard-earned free time after being interrupted—McGonagall walked toward Louis.
"Mr. Wilson," she began. "Everything's fine now, but I must warn you—never, absolutely never, send your owl into the Forbidden Forest to catch small animals again!"
"Yes, Professor. That wasn't my intention either. Fafnir really caught me off guard too," Louis said as he gave the bird a knock on the head. "I promise, Fafnir will behave."
"Good." McGonagall sighed in relief before taking her leave.
"That was intense, wasn't it, Harry?" Louis said once she was gone. "That spider almost dropped right on our heads."
Harry didn't know what to say.
He honestly felt Louis's spider-slaying fireball was far more terrifying than the spider itself.
"Louis, what exactly is an Acromantula?" Harry asked, awkwardly changing the subject.
"It's an extremely dangerous magical creature," Louis explained. "Classified on the same level as dragons by the Ministry of Magic."
"That doesn't mean they're as powerful as dragons," he clarified. "It's just that they're deadly due to their stealth. Unlike dragons, they're much harder to defend against."
"But Acromantulas are also quite valuable. Their venom can sell for 100 Galleons per pint…"
Louis suddenly went silent. Harry looked up and saw an expression of utter regret on his face.
"I completely forgot Acromantula venom is worth money," Louis said, sighing in frustration. "What a waste…"
Uh-oh…
Harry glanced at Louis, then at Fafnir, who had clearly perked up after hearing that. Suddenly, Harry had a very bad feeling—this probably won't be the last time an Acromantula shows up near Hogwarts Castle.
---
It was Sunday. It was raining. And Slytherin's dormitory was especially noisy.
As Louis left the dorm, he could still hear the panicked cries of a boy screaming, "They're all fake! All skeletons! Don't come any closer!"
Rumor had it he'd wet himself from the scare.
Louis strolled through the corridor, yawning as he gazed out at the heavy downpour.
Rainy days always made him sluggish and sleepy. But he'd made plans, and it wouldn't be right to ghost someone.
He arrived at a stone relief of an eagle and glanced around.
This was the meeting spot the Weasley twins had mentioned, but it seemed they weren't here yet.
"Did I come too early?" Louis muttered, checking the time. "I'm pretty sure this is the right place…"
Suddenly, a strange sound came from behind him. Louis turned around just in time to see the eagle relief slowly open, revealing a deep, dark passage. Fred emerged from the tunnel, wand lit.
"You're pretty early," Fred said with a bit of surprise. "Come on in."
"What is this place?" Louis asked, following him. "A hidden room?"
"Just a secret passage. George and I do our product testing in an empty classroom on the seventh floor. This is the quickest way there," Fred explained. "Why aren't you using Lumos?"
"No need. I can see fine," Louis replied.
He couldn't actually cast Lumos—but he could throw exploding fireballs, so that was fine by him. "How do you two know about all these secret passages?"
Louis was asking knowingly. He already knew about the Marauder's Map.
"We explore a lot. So we just got familiar with them," Fred answered vaguely.
Clearly, Louis and the twins weren't close enough to share secrets yet, so Fred wasn't being completely honest.
After ascending a stretch of stairs, the two arrived at what looked like a dead end. Without hesitation, Fred tapped the wall with his wand, and it responded—splitting open to reveal the path beyond.
---
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