"Coming, coming!"
Harry replied and quickly memorized the spell before running out of Makiya's hut.
The hotpot dinner was full of mishaps.
First, Hagrid couldn't get the hang of using chopsticks, and with no suitable utensils in the house, Makiya had to use Transfiguration to make him a pair of long tongs.
Harry was choked to tears by the spice. His face turned beet red, but he refused to stop eating. Makiya eventually brought him a bowl of water to rinse the food before eating.
Hagrid had brought a large variety of strange meats. Some were delicious and some were tough, but most were quite good. Makiya and Harry ate their fill, while Hagrid was just getting started.
In the end, Makiya watched as Hagrid poured the leftover broth into a large pot, tossed in meat, vegetables, Williams pears, raspberries, and everything else in one go to make a chaotic stew, which he ate with great gusto.
When it was time to leave, Makiya didn't just take his cauldron; he also carried a large pile of materials Hagrid had gifted him.
These were magical materials Hagrid had collected in the Forbidden Forest. Some had unfortunately lost their properties because they hadn't been handled correctly.
Hagrid was actually a secret millionaire. With the Forbidden Forest at his disposal, he could gather many precious materials like unicorn hair and Acromantula venom—things that were rarely found on the market.
---
Magical research was never a safe endeavor. If an experiment went wrong, the best-case scenario was a blown-up lab; the worst was the loss of life.
One day, while Makiya was processing a section of a spider leg, he suddenly felt a faint ripple of magic. When he stopped, the ripple vanished.
'Huh?'
Makiya held the spider leg up to the light and discovered what looked like a pattern inside the hollow leg.
He tried channeling a small amount of magic into it. The internal patterns immediately lit up in sequence, a pale blue glow quickly traveling to the end before letting out a soft *poof*, like a muffled release of gas.
The spider leg was damaged, missing a section at the end. The patterns at the break were a chaotic mess, and the magic Makiya channeled was being released through these fractured lines.
'Interesting.'
Makiya waved his hand to condense a block of ice, pressed the broken end of the leg against it, and channeled his magic.
*Poof... thump!*
The muffled sound rang out again. Guided by the internal patterns of the leg, the magic transformed into a pale blue shockwave that sent the ice block flying.
Makiya set the spider leg down and sifted through the pile of junk Hagrid had given him, eventually finding a more intact specimen.
Condensing ice and channeling magic once more, a stronger blue shockwave shattered the ice block.
'With this shape, these must be legs from an Acromantula.'
After observing it for a moment, Makiya took the spider leg and found Hagrid, who was currently tilling the ground.
"I picked those spider legs up in the Forbidden Forest. I brought them back for Fang to use as chew toys. You've got the last two in your hand," Hagrid said, wiping sweat as he set down his massive hoe.
Makiya: "..."
*Using Acromantula legs as chew toys? Fang lives a truly luxurious life.*
Makiya asked a few more questions, indirectly learning the location where Hagrid had found the legs, before returning to his hut.
He planned to search the Forbidden Forest. He wouldn't go deep, just explore the outskirts.
Lower-year students at Hogwarts were forbidden from entering the Forbidden Forest, but since Makiya hadn't officially enrolled yet, he was essentially exploiting a loophole.
After dinner, Makiya uncharacteristically skipped his magic practice and went to bed early to conserve his energy.
In the middle of the night, the bright moon hung high.
The moonlight draped a white veil over the Forbidden Forest, and a thin mist drifted between the trees, creating an eerie atmosphere.
Suddenly, the temperature plummeted. The mist condensed into fine ice crystals that fell to the ground as a small figure slowly stepped out from the shadows.
Makiya looked around, orienting himself by the huge gashes on the trees. Pristine frost condensed under his feet, extending behind him.
This was a side effect of the Heart of Darkness. He could control the four elements—ice, fire, light, and dark—and he was most proficient with ice and fire.
Hagrid patrolled the Forbidden Forest often and left very obvious marks on the trunks. Following these markers, Makiya soon found the place Hagrid had mentioned.
Large patches of Dragon Claw Vines lay shattered across the forest floor, surrounded by spider corpses of various sizes.
The Dragon Claw Vine was a low-growing creeper. Its long tendrils secreted a large amount of mucus that could paralyze prey while binding it tightly.
Once the prey was caught, the vine would secrete a highly acidic fluid, capable of dissolving even bones. The resulting liquid would soak into the soil to nourish the roots.
Clearly, this particular Dragon Claw Vine had tried to capture a medium-sized Acromantula, only to face the frenzied retaliation of the Acromantula colony, leaving it torn to shreds.
Dragon Claw Vines were also full of treasures. Makiya pulled a prepared glass bottle from his backpack and waved his wand to collect the mucus from the ground.
He couldn't ignore the vines either. The scattered fragments saved him the trouble of cutting them. He picked out some of the better-quality vines, placed them in bottles, and stashed them in his pack.
Several Acromantula corpses, about half a meter tall, lay among the vines, along with smaller spider bodies. Unfortunately, these corpses were mangled; their internal organs were gone, leaving only hollow shells.
Acromantulas were cannibals.
The shells had even been perforated by the residual acid from the Dragon Claw Vines.
Makiya felt a wave of disappointment. Though he had found an unexpected bonus, his main objective hadn't been met. This trip had been a waste.
The situation inside the Forbidden Forest was very complex. Makiya didn't intend to go any deeper. He had plenty of time ahead of him; there was no need to rush.
He turned to leave but suddenly sensed a massive, dense cluster of faint magic approaching.
*Rustle, rustle...*
A faint clicking sound echoed through the dense woods, accompanied by a sharp screech that sounded like fingernails scratching glass coming from all directions.
An Acromantula swarm!
Countless spiders, large and small, appeared on the ground, on the trunks, and hanging in the air. Every spider stared with eight pitch-black eyes that reflected the eerie moonlight. Their mandibles swung open, mouthparts clicking incessantly.
The spiders varied in size; the smallest were like ping-pong balls, while the largest were nearly half a meter tall.
Humans were on the Acromantula menu. They followed the orders of their leader, Aragog, not to harm the half-giant who often entered the forest, but the leader had never said anything about not eating a little wizard.
The swarm surged forward, viewing Makiya as a delicious meal.
The Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest had originated from Hagrid.
During his time as a student, Hagrid had obtained an Acromantula egg from a traveler from a distant land. He hatched it in a cupboard at Hogwarts and named it Aragog.
Hagrid had raised it on breadcrumbs.
Until 1942, when the Chamber of Secrets was opened and a basilisk attacked a student. Hagrid and Aragog were caught by a young Tom Riddle. Riddle framed Aragog for the student's death. To protect Aragog, Hagrid sent him into the Forbidden Forest, leading to his own expulsion.
Later, Hagrid secretly found a wife for Aragog. The two spiders worked tirelessly, breeding a massive colony in the Forbidden Forest that greatly affected the local inhabitants, including the centaur tribes.
In Hagrid's eyes, these spiders were just cute little creatures, but they were a huge threat to Hogwarts students. In the original story, they had nearly eaten Harry and Ron.
"So, you've decided I'm prey?" Makiya looked around at the poised spiders and let out a light chuckle. "It's hard to say who the prey really is."
A piercing screech rang through the forest as all the spiders lunged at Makiya simultaneously.
At the same time, Makiya's wand flickered, and a crimson flame instantly illuminated a wide stretch of the forest.