ARAGOG AND HIS HUNGRY CHILDREN!

MAY 1993

2nd Year

• • • •

"Come on!" Harry told Ron, carrying Hagrid's lantern, as he and his sister started to follow the spiders' path.

"What?!" Ron fearfully exclaimed. 

"You heard what Hagrid said: 'Follow the spiders'." The older Potter twin reminded his best friend."

"They're headed to the Dark Forest!" Ron cried, "Why spiders! Why couldn't it be 'follow the butterflies'?" He complained, begrudgingly following the siblings.

"Because then we would be in a much more cheery situation." Annabelle told him.

***

"Harry, Anna, I don't like this," Ron whimpered, as the trio and Fang followed the line of spiders, "Harry, I don't like this at all!"

"Shush!" Harry whisper-yelled at him.

"Can we go back now?" The redheaded boy asked, as they saw the creatures crawl through a large tunnel, meaning that they had to go through it.

"Come on!" Harry said, starting to walk towards it, making Ron let out a high-pitched noise.

"You'll be fine, Ron," Annabelle softly told her friend, taking his hand in comfort, leading him into the tunnel, "I promise."

As the three second years and Fang exited the tunnel, they stepped further into the forest over tree roots and fallen branches, before a loud noise in front of them made them stop in their tracks.

"Who is it?" A low voice echoed through the forest, Harry knowing exactly who it was.

"Don't panic." The boy whispered to Ron - who only squeezed Annabelle's hand tighter.

"Hagrid? Is that you?" The same voice called out.

"We're friends of Hagrid's," Harry answered, before, hairy legs came into view, revealing a large spider, making the girl's eyes widen, as she gripped onto Ron's hand to keep him from trying to run away, whilst Harry stood, seemingly unfazed, "And you? Y- y-you're Aragog aren't you?"

"Anna." Ron squeaked.

"It's okay." She whispered back to him.

"Yes," Aragog nodded, "Hagrid has never sent men into our hollow before."

"He's in trouble," Harry told the creature, "Up at the school, there have been attacks. They think it's Hagrid. They think he opened the Chamber of Secrets, like before."

"That's a lie!" Aragog cried, making both of the redheads flinch, "Hagrid never opened the Chamber of Secrets."

"Then you're not the monster." Harry realised.

"No! The monster was born in the castle. I came to Hagrid from a distant land, in the pocket of a traveller." The giant spider explained.

Ron and Annabelle then noticed silhouettes of spiders starting to crawl down towards them.

"Harry." Ron whimpered, tugging on the boy's sleeve.

"Shush," Harry said, ignoring him, "But if you're not the monster, then- then what did kill that girl fifty years ago?"

"We do not speak of it," Aragog said, "It is an ancient creature we spiders fear above all others."

"Harry!" Annabelle tried to grab her brother's attention.

"But have you seen it?" Harry asked, ignoring her, as well.

"I never saw any part of the castle but the box in which Hagrid kept me. The girl was discovered in a bathroom. When I was accused, Hagrid brought me here." Aragog replied.

"Harry!" Both Ron and Annabelle shouted, making him look at the pair.

"What?!"

The two redheads pointed towards the ever-growing plethora of spiders crawling towards them, who gulped nervously.

Harry then glanced at Aragog again, "Well... thank you. We'll just... go." He said, as he, Ron and Annabelle - who tugged on Fang's collar - started to back away.

"Go?" The creature asked, making Ron nod fearfully, "I think not," He said, as more spiders emerged from around him, "My sons and daughters do not harm Hagrid on my command. But I cannot deny them fresh meat when it wanders so willingly into our midst," Aragog told them, as hundreds more spiders appeared from the trees, "Goodbye, friend of Hagrid." The giant spider said, backing away into the whole he came from.

Ron glanced at Harry in terror, "Can we panic now?" He asked, just before a big spider landed right next to them, making Ron and Annabelle point their wands at it in fear, while Harry swung the lantern he was holding at it, bashing it away, then at another spider before he threw the lantern to the ground and taking out his wand before he, Annabelle, Fang and Ron stood back to back as the spiders surrounded them, "Know any spells?"

"One," Harry told him, "But it's not powerful enough for all of them."

"Where's Hermione when you need her?" Ron exclaimed.

"Then it's time to improvise." Annabelle said.

"What!?" Ron and Harry asked.

"I have an idea!" The redheaded girl told the boys, "Whether it works is a completely different thing."

As the spiders inched closer to them, Annabelle put her fingers up to her mouth, whistling loudly, the sound echoing off of the trees.

"I don't think a loud noise is going to do anything, Anna!" Harry cried towards his sister.

"Just trust me!" The girl snapped back at him.

At that moment, the sound of a car engine was heard approaching them, making the second years look in the direction of the noise, to see the Ford Anglia drive into Aragog's nest, towards them. Ron and Harry backed away towards Aragog as the car came to a stop, then opening the doors for them, making the boys look at the girl in confusion.

"Get in!" Annabelle yelled at them, as she sat behind the wheel.

"Let's go!" Harry nodded, as he, Ron and Fang complied, the redheaded boy sitting next to the girl in the front of the car.

"You know how to drive?" Ron asked Annabelle.

"I spent most of the Summer at the arcade," Annabelle told the boy, "Just trust me on this." She said, making Ron nod, before they were interrupted.

Harry pointed his wand at the spider that was reaching into the passenger's door, trying to get to Ron.

"Arania Exumai!"

A beam emitted from his wand, blasting the spider away, just as a spider landed on top of the car, while another landed on the hood, making Annabelle jump and let out a small shriek of fright.

"Go!" Harry cried at the redheaded girl, who immediately put the car in reverse, backing it away as fast as she could, and as they went under a tree root, the spider on the roof fell off onto its back. The car then went flying backwards over a hill.

"Whoa!" Ron and Harry cried, as the car landed on the forest floor, and the spider on the hood fell off, before Annabelle brought to a stop.

The girl let out a breath, gripping the steering wheel, before turning to look at Ron, "Told you."

Ron smiled at her, then turning to face Harry, "Glad we're out of there."

Suddenly, another spider climbed onto the car, and sticks its head through the window. Harry and Annabelle both jumped as the spider went for Ron, putting its pincers around his neck, making the boy try to get the spider off, squirming and screaming. Harry calmly reached into his pocket and pulled out his wand, pointing it at his frightened friend. Ron, his eyes and nostrils wide with terror, moved to the left, giving Harry a clear shot at the spider trying to eat him.

"Arania Exumai!"

Another beam of white light emitted from Harry's wand, blasting the spider off of Ron and away from the car.

Ron breathed heavily, glancing out the window and turning to Harry again, "Thanks for that."

Harry gave him a nod, putting his wand back in his pocket, "Don't mention it."

"Um, guys." Annabelle spoke up, causing the two boys follow her gaze out the windshield, as a twitching sound was heard, making them squint, before a hoard of spiders appeared at the top of the hill, and began moving towards the car. Seeing the spiders, Ron whimpered.

"Get us out of here," Harry told his twin sister, "Now!"

Annabelle quickly put the car in reverse.

"Come on! Come on, move faster!" The boys yelled at her.

"Stop shouting at me!" Annabelle snapped at them, taking a sharp turn, making the boys scream.

"Come on, go!"

Annabelle angrily looked at her brother through the rear-view mirror, "Do you want to drive?!" She yelled, before putting the car in drive, and stamping her foot down on the gas. As they drive through the forest, the spiders continued to pursue the car, moving almost as fast as cheetahs.

"Get us in the air!" Harry instructed.

"That one!" Ron told the girl, pointing at the flying gear, making her push it rapidly.

"It's jammed!" Annabelle cried, exasperated.

The spiders gathered at a tree branch up ahead, intent on intercepting the Ford Anglia.

"Come on. Pull!" Harry told the pair.

"I'm trying!" Annabelle shouted at him.

As they drove into the pack of spiders, knocking them aside, the car took the air, with one spider managing to grab hold of the car before falling to the ground. Flying over the trees, the car descended, before landing a few feet from Hagrid's house before coming to a complete stop in front of the house, and the three second years got out of the car, Harry letting Fang out.

Annabelle let out a heavy sighed, blowing some hair out of her face, sitting down on the grass beneath her, Fang nuzzling his head into her hand as she petted him.

"I knew that high score on Pole Position would pay off eventually." She muttered.

Ron slammed his car door, evidently furious that Hagrid had to put them in such danger, "'Follow the spiders'?! 'Follow the spiders'?! If Hagrid ever gets out of Azkaban, I'll kill him!" He seethed, before the Ford Anglia backed up, and then drove past Harry, Ron, Annabelle and Fang, and back into the forest again, "I mean, what was the point of sending us in there? What have we found out?"

"We know one thing," Harry spoke up, "Hagrid never opened the Chamber of Secrets; he was innocent."

"Hermione and I did tell you." Annabelle muttered with a sigh, scratching behind Fang's ears, both the girl and the animal wanting some much needed rest.