Y/N's POV

"We need to go to Hagrid's." Ron said.

"We can use the invisibility cloak." said Harry. I nodded as Harry got his cloak and covered the three of us. We made our way out to Hagrid's hut and knocked. Hagrid opened the door and pointed a crossbow at us.

"Oh," he said, lowering the weapon and staring at us, "what're you three doin' here?"

"What's that for?" asked Harry, pointing at the crossbow as we stepped inside.

"Nothin'-nothin'." Hagrid muttered. "I've bin expectin'-doesn' matter, sit down, I'll make tea-"

"Are you okay, Hagrid?" said Harry. "Did you hear about Hermione?"

"Oh, I heard, all righ'," said Hagrid, a slight break in his voice.

Just then there was a loud knock, we hid under the cloak and went to a corner.

"Good evening, Hagrid."

It was Dumbledore. He entered, looking deadly serious, and was followed by a second, very odd-looking man.

"That's Dad's boss!" Ron breathed. "Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic!" I elbowed Ron hard to make him shut up.

"Bad business, Hagrid," said Fudge, "very bad business. Had to come. Four attacks on Muggle-borns. Things have gone far enough. Ministry's got to act."

"I never," said Hagrid, looking imploringly at Dumbledore, "you know I never, Professor Dumbledore, sir-"

"I want it understood, Cornelius, that Hagrid has my full confidence," said Dumbledore, frowning at Fudge.

"Look, Albus," said Fudge, uncomfortably, "Hagrid's record's against him. Ministry's got to do something, the school governors have been in touch-"

"Yet again, Cornelius, I tell you that taking Hagrid away will not help in the slightest," said Dumbledore.

"Look at it from my point of view," said Fudge, fidgeting with his hat, "I'm under a lot of pressure. Got to be seen to be doing something. If it turns out it wasn't Hagrid, he'll be back and no more said. But I've got to take him. Got to. Wouldn't be doing my duty-"

"Take me?" said Hagrid, who was trembling. "Take me where?"

"For a short stretch only," said Fudge, not meeting Hagrid's eyes, "not a punishment, Hagrid, more a precaution. If someone else is caught, you'll be let out with a full apology-"

"Not Azkaban?" croaked Hagrid.

Before Fudge could answer, there was another knock on the door.

Dumbledore answered it.

Lucius Malfoy strode into Hagrid's hut, smiling a cold and satisfied smile.

"Already here, Fudge," he said approvingly, "good, good..."

"What're you doin' here?" said Hagrid furiously. "Get outta my house!"

"My dear man, please believe me, I have no pleasure at all in being here." said Lucius Malfoy, sneering as he looked around the small hut. "I simply called at the school and was told that the headmaster was here."

"And what exactly did you want with me, Lucius?" asked Dumbledore.

"Dreadful thing, Dumbledore," said Malfoy lazily, taking out a long roll of parchment, "but the governors feel it's time for you to step aside. This is an Order of Suspension, you'll find all twelve signatures on it. I'm afraid we feel you're losing your touch. How many attacks have there been now? Two more this afternoon, wasn't it? At this rate, there'll be no Muggle-borns left at Hogwarts, and we all know what an awful loss that would be to the school."

"Oh, now, see here, Lucius," said Fudge, looking alarmed, "Dumbledore suspended, no, no the last thing we want..."

"The appointment, or suspension, of the headmaster is a matter for the governors, Fudge," said Mr Malfoy smoothly, "and as Dumbledore has failed to stop these attacks-"

I was so angry with Lucius Malfoy right now I wanted to come out from the cloak and curse him.

"If the governors want my removal, Lucius, I shall of course step aside-"

"But-" stuttered Fudge.

"No!" growled Hagrid.

"However," said Dumbledore, speaking very slowly and clearly so that none of them could miss a word, "you will find that I will only truly have left this school when none here are loyal to me. You will also find that help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it."

"Admirable sentiments," said Lucius, "we shall all miss your highly individual way of running things,  Albus, and only hope that your successor will manage to prevent any killings."

He and Dumbledore left, Fudge, fiddling with his bowler, waited for Hagrid to go ahead of him, but Hagrid stood his ground, took a deep breath and said carefully. "If anyone wanted ter find out some stuff, all they'd have ter do would be ter follow the spiders. That'd lead 'em right! That's all I'm sayin'."

Then they left.

Ron pulled off the cloak.

"We're in trouble now," he said hoarsely, "no Dumbledore. They might as well close the school tonight. There'll be an attack a day with him gone."

"We're going now, let's take Fang and go." I said, pointing to a line of spiders that were crawling into to the Forbidden Forest. We left the cloak in Hagrid's hut and started walking, taking Fang with us.

"Lumos." I casted, since the Forest was pitch black.

We walked for what seemed like at least half an hour. After a while, we noticed that the ground seemed to be sloping downward, though the trees were as thick as ever.

Then Fang suddenly let loose a great, echoing bark, making us jump.

"What?" said Ron loudly, looking around into the pitch dark.

"There's something moving over there," I breathed, "listen...sounds like something big..."

We listened. Some distance to our right, the something big was snapping branches as it carved a path through the trees.

"Oh, no," said Ron, "oh, no, oh, no, oh-"

"Shut up," said Harry frantically, "it'll hear you."

"Hear me?" said Ron in an unnaturally high voice. "It's already heard Fang!"

We stood, terrified, waiting. There was a strange rumbling noise and then silence.

"What d'you think it's doing?" I asked.

"Probably getting ready to pounce," said Ron.

We waited, shivering, hardly daring to move.

"D'you think it's gone?" Harry whispered.

"Dunno-" said Ron.

We turned and we saw the Weasley's flying car, Ron said delightedly. "It's the car! It's not a monster!"

From then, we kept on moving. When we finally arrived, it was a horrific sight. There were spiders, not little ones, but massive ones larger than all three of us.

"Aragog! Aragog!" a spider said.

"What is it?" he said, clicking his pincers rapidly.

"Men," clicked the spider.

"Is it Hagrid?" said Aragog, moving closer, his eight milky eyes wandering vaguely.

"Strangers," clicked another spider.

"Kill them," clicked Aragog fretfully, "I was sleeping..."

"We're friends of Hagrid's," I shouted.

Click, click, click went the pincers of the spiders all around the hollow.

Aragog paused.

"Hagrid has never sent men into our hollow before," he said slowly.

"Hagrid's in trouble," I said, "that's why we've come."

"In trouble?" said the aged spider, and Harry thought he heard concern beneath the clicking pincers. "But why has he sent you?"

"They think, up at the school, that Hagrid's been setting something on students. They've taken him to Azkaban."

Aragog clicked his pincers furiously.

"But that was years ago," said Aragog, "years and years ago. I remember it well. That's why they made him leave the school. They believed that I was the monster that dwells in what they call the Chamber of Secrets."

"And you...you didn't come from the Chamber of Secrets?" said Harry.

"No!" said Aragog, clicking angrily. "I was not born in the castle. I come from a distant land. A traveler gave me to Hagrid when I was an egg. Hagrid was only a boy, but he cared for me, hidden in a cupboard in the castle, feeding me on scraps from the table. When I was discovered, and blamed for the death of a girl, he protected me. I have lived here in the forest ever since, where Hagrid still visits me."

"So you never attacked anyone?" I asked.

"Never," croaked the old spider, "it would have been my instinct, but out of respect for Hagrid, I never harmed a human. The body of the girl who was killed was discovered in a bathroom. I never saw any part of the castle but the cupboard in which I grew up."

"But then...do you know what did kill that girl?" said Harry. "Because whatever it is, it's back and attacking people again-"

"We do not speak of it!" said Aragog fiercely. "We do not name it! I never even told Hagrid the name of that dread creature, though he asked me, many times."

"Ok...we'll just go then." I said, before starting to walk backwards and hopefully away.

"Go?" said Aragog slowly. "I think not...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. Goodbye, friends of Hagrid."

Then the spiders pounced, and we ran. We kept on running till we reached the car. From there we drove back to the edge of the castle, relieved the murderous spiders had gone.

"Follow the spiders, said Hagrid, follow the freaking spiders." Ron said, annoyed. "We nearly died and we didn't even learn anything."