Chapter 9
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Adhara grew to like the Forbidden Forest. It was the only time she was truly able to be alone, allowing her to clear her mind. She hasn't informed anyone else about her weekly walks, so no one else knew. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't the only one who discovered another route to sneak off to the forest without being caught by the groundskeeper. She really did not enjoy having her peaceful walks being interrupted by a certain spoiled blond.

"What do you want, Malfoy?"

"Just wanted to know about that mudblood friend of yours. Heard she got released from the Hospital Wing yesterday."

Adhara rolled her eyes. She didn't want anything to do with him today, deciding to ignore him completely when she discovered with his butterfly and magnifying glass. Somehow, however, the boy took that as an invitation to follow her instead.

"Aren't you afraid? Those walls were the only thing keeping her safe," he sneered. "Now that she's out, how long do you think it'll take her to end up back in an infirmary bed?"

Adhara stopped, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. She really was in no mood to deal with him. All she wanted was to go on a walk. Besides, she did not want to let him have the satisfaction of ruling her up.

She could do what she'd always done. She could walk away from him because really, Draco Malfoy was not her problem to deal it.

But the prick was talking about her friend. And Adhara remembered what Hermione told her. About the taunting, about the name-calling. About how his comments made her feel more unsafe in this school with all the muggleborns being petrified and all.

Adhara's hands balled into fists before she suddenly turned around, finally giving the bloodpurist her attention. That cocky smirk that he always displayed angering her further, but she showed none of it on her face. Instead, she marched straight up to her Malfoy, digging her wand right in his gut. She wasn't going to fire anything, but she was jabbing it enough for it to hurt. It successfully wiped the smirk off his face.

Malfoy took a step back, but Adhara only followed him, digging her wand deeper. Her face stayed impassive as she spoke. "Have you really got nothing better to do? Is this what you do with your free time? Follow people around in a forest to taunt them? How bloody pathetic."

Malfoy scowled but took another step back at the impact of Adhara's wand. She followed. One step, two steps, another and then another. Until his back met a tree, and he could no longer escape.

Adhara smirked. "Oh, would you look at that? The mighty heir of two pureblood families can't even fight back. Even when his own wand is within reach." Her head tilted to the side, "I wonder what his father might think?"

Malfoy's jaw clicked. His nostrils flared as anger built up in his chest, burning his lungs and stomach in the process. He pushed Adhara back, who stepped away without any resistance and grabbed his own wand out of his pocket.

"Don't fucking touch me."

Adhara only cocked a brow. Her arms crossed, she looked at her cousin, amused. "My, my, cousin. Didn't think you had it in you to swear. What would your father think of this improper display of emotions?" She didn't care anymore about hiding her own emotions at this point. Months of being taunted by the asshole, months of having him insulting her friends. She was fed up with Draco Malfoy, and she was going to jab him where it hurt.

"You seem to care a lot about what your father thinks. Or am I wrong, cousin?"

Malfoy's face contorted into several emotions before finally settling on outraged. "How dare you! Do you even know who you're-"

And then, Adhara did exactly what would infuriate him further. She turned around and ignored him completely, cutting him off mid-sentence in the process. She heard him stutter on his words from behind her.

Malfoy kept speaking, trying to gain back her attention. He grumbled under his breath when he realized none of his jeers were working.

"You'll be sorry. When he comes back and you end up on the losing side, you'll be sorry then!"

Adhara only rolled her eyes at the pathetic attempt.

"He's only doing the right thing, you know! Cleansing the world of what's bad to make a better one for us wizards!"

That made the Slytherin girl stop in her tracks. She turned around, eyes wide. Don't tell her this kid actually believed in that nonsense? Cleansing? Really?

Malfoy smirked when he finally gained her attention, acting like a child who managed to trick an adult into giving him two cookies instead of one.

He crossed his arms and confidently leaned onto the tree he was pushed against only minutes ago.

"Excuse me? What did you just say?"

Malfoy frowned. He didn't like having to repeat himself, but this was keeping Adhara's attention on him, so he'd have to comply.

"The Dark Lord is only doing the right thing. He-"

"The right thing?" she interrupted. Adhara looked completed taken aback by Malfoy's comment. She brought her index and her thumb to the bridge of her nose, rubbing it harshly. "For the second brightest kid in our year, you sure are dumb."

"Wha-"

"You think Voldemort-" she noticed how he flinched at the name"-did what he did because of some sort of moral sense of duty?"

"Of course. He wanted to rid of the world of mudbloods. Rightfully so. What other reason would he have?"

Adhara was looking at him as if he was the stupidest person on the planet.

"He insisted everyone call him Lord. Isn't it obvious what he wanted?"

Draco was still confused.

"He wanted power, and that was his way of achieving it."

He blinked a few times, not understanding where she was going. "Of-Of course he wanted power. You need power to achieve what he wanted to accom-"

"Draco, listen to yourself. Are you even listening to yourself?" Adhara still rubbed her nose. "You sound like you're making excuses, which is exactly what you're doing."

"Wh-why would-"

"Draco, no. Power. That's all he cared about. Unleashing a war is never about doing the right thing. It has always been about gaining control, about gaining power."

Draco had nothing to say.

"You're not stupid, Draco. Surely, you can see where you're wrong. About Voldemort, about muggleborns in gene-"

A spell was fired in her direction, which ultimately missed her and hit a tree instead. She looked up to see Draco with his wand raised and a sour expression playing his features.

"How dare you speak ill of him!" But his voice didn't carry the same venom as it did only moments ago when he uttered similar words.

Before Adhara could respond back to him, Draco dashed, not without throwing another spell, however.

Adhara countered it with a simple protego and watched the blond run back to the castle. She sighed out, tiredly.

━━━━

Roisin Han was trying to speak to her again. Adhara didn't understand just how many times she had to hint that she didn't want anything to do with her. It was already an unspoken rule back the orphanage: Aleyne kids didn't associate with one another at school. It wasn't a difficult thing to abide by.

Adhara saw just how many friends the girl had. She had absolutely no reason to pester the Slytherin.

She was glad Ginny stopped spying on her weeks ago. She didn't think she could continue to handle two first-year stalkers anymore.

"Adhara, please. I just want to tell you something!"

"What? Not afraid I'll petrify you?"

She wasn't going to pretend like she didn't see her following MacMillan around at the beginning of the year like a loyal dog, soaking up all his words like a sponge. She knew Roisin was there that day at the Great Hall when the Hufflepuff boy was spreading rumours about Harry.

"What? No, Adhara, please! I never ever suspected you! Ernie only said those things about The-Boy-with-the-Scar and-"

"He might as well have made those comments about me because that's how much I was offended by them." She stopped, finally turning to look at her.

Roisin's hair was a bit longer than it was at the beginning of the year, reaching past her chin. The ends were bleached blond whilst the rest stayed its natural black. Her mouth was turned downwards, a clear indication of her distress.

Adhara stood still, expecting Roisin to continue talking.

"Well? Didn't you have something to tell me?"

The Hufflepuff's eyes widened. "I-"

"Hurry up and say it, so that you can leave me alone afterwards."

"It-it's about Granger," she squeaked out, voice wobbly.

The annoyance Adhara felt melted away in an instant, replacing it with dread.

"What about Hermione?"

"They found her unconscious in the corridor. I'm so sorry Adhara, Granger's been petrified."

━━━━

Harry sat on the ledge, facing the castle inside. He couldn't meet anyone's eyes. Not even Ron's who crouched down next to the wall, on the opposite side of the window. Millicent was standing up, her back against the wall, but she kept her eyes on the duo at the window.

Hermione was petrified.

The inside lining of Harry's stomach twisted at the thought, breaking down into pieces and making its way up. His throat swelled up, and he felt like throwing up.

Adhara wasn't looking at any of them, gaze fixed instead on the courtyard outside the window. Her hand was in Harry's, as he held firmly onto her.

There was another girl, apparently. A half-blood. Not a muggleborn.

Harry should've been there. They all should've been there. They knew there was a monster attacking muggleborns, and yet they still left her alone.

Ron eyed their joint hands.

"I've been meaning to ask-"

Harry could distantly make out Ron's voice at the back of his head. He sort of sounded like an echo.

"-but when did you two get so close?"

Harry's head swayed. Adhara's hand clasped tighter.

Millie kicked the redhead for being thick headed.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Not really the time."

Hagrid was at Azkaban. The minister of magic showed up to arrest him, Lucius Malfoy was convinced he was the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets

Harry peered at Adhara, but the girl didn't budge. He looked back at Ron and shrugged.

"She came over during the summer."

Harry swallowed down the lump, refusing to throw up.

"I knew that. But why?"

"I'll tell you some other time."

Hagrid had said to follow the spiders.

━━━━

"Follow the spiders? What do you mean 'follow the spiders'? What kind of bullshit clue is that?"

"I don't know, but it's what he said so I think-"

"What's this about spiders?" interjected Millicent.

"Where did you come from?"

"You both aren't very good at keeping quiet, you know?" She popped out from behind Harry, startling both Gryffindors in the process. "I could hear you two talk about spiders from down the corridor."

Harry looked around. "Where's Adhara?"

Millicent let out a breath. "Library."

"Still?"

She nodded.

"It's been days."

"She'll be there until 'Mione wakes up, that's for sure."

Harry inhaled sharply.

"You're the same, you know?"

Harry stayed quiet, processing the words first. Then, he had to make sure if the words were, in fact, directed at him. And then, he wondered if Millicent had finally lost it.

"You don't look convinced."

"Adhara's smarter."

"That, she is. Now, what's all this about spiders, and how is the key-keeper involved?"

Ron groaned out loud. "It's my bloody nightmare, that's what it is."

"It's the last clue Hagrid left us before they took him away," informed Harry.

The blonde-haired Slytherin thought it over. "And this clue. It could help Hermione?"

"What?"

"Will it help Mione?"

"Potentially, yeah."

"Then, I'm in."

Ron wanted to cry.

━━━━

Last year, when McGonagall announced that they had to serve detention in the Forbidden Forest, Hermione voiced how stupid she thought the idea was. It was the first time Ron and Harry heard her so obtrusively oppose a teacher's decision. It was also the beginning of a wonderful series of debates that will last all seven years of their Hogwarts carrier, each beginning with a small but firm "But Professor!"

Harry never thought he'd actually miss it.

He also didn't think much of the forest last year, when the punishment was announced. He understood what the big deal was only when he encountered the disembodied figure of Voldemort feeding on unicorn blood.

But Voldemort couldn't possibly be in the forest this time as well, right? So, they shouldn't have anything to be afraid of? They're only following a few little spiders, right?

"Harry, I really don't like this"

"Weasley, your voice is cracking more than usual."

"Why spiders? Why couldn't it be 'follow the butterflies' or something??"

"I swear to Merlin, Potter. If my shoes get ruin in this process, I'll have your gamekeeper's head."

"His name is Hagrid, Bulstrode. Learn it."

"Uhuh, it's crawling on my leg! It's on my leg! Get it off!"

"Aren't you the one who took months to learn the Quidditch team's names?"

"How do you know that?"

"I have my ways."

"It's in my hair!"

"There's nothing in your hair, Ron!"

"Sweet Salazar, my hair!"

━━━

"Follow the spiders, he said! It's a clue, he said! What kind of fucking clue did you get out of this, Harry?!"

The trio stood with their backs against each other, wands ready to attack the spiders. All they needed now was a spell.

"Do you at least know a spell?"

"Only one, but it won't work against all of them."

The arachnids crawled closer and closer to the kids, seemingly multiplying each second.

Millicent made a hurling sound. "Morgana, there are so many of them! This is absolutely disgusting!"

"Where's Hermione when you need her?"

"Millie, you're smart. Do something."

"My specialty is potions, not charms, Potter. I can't think of any that can help us right now!"

Ron squeaked once more. "Where's Adhara when you need her?"

━━

The roaring sound of an engine cut through the spiders' squeaks. A blue car driving toward them at full speed, and the blaring headlights causing the creatures to scatter away.

The car rolled past the kids, pushing the spiders further back and crushing the smaller ones with its wheels. It circled around them, creating a larger space between them and the acromantula. The door swung open.

"Is this the car?" exclaimed Millie. "The one from the howler??"

Harry was confused. "How did this even get here?"

"Does it matter?!" Ron shouted. He pointed at the open doors. "It's obviously trying to help us! Get in!"

Harry scampered forward, spelling a spider away in the process while Ron got into the driver's seat.

Millicent stopped in her track when she saw that. "You want me to get into a car, with Weasley behind the wheel? Knowing he flew it into the Whooping Willow back in September?"

Harry grabbed her by the elbow, shoving her in the back seat. "It's either that or your acromantula dinner tonight, which do you prefer?"

Millie grumbled under her breath but complied anyway. She closed her door right in time for a spider to land on the window, making her scream out loud.

"Drive, fucking drive!"

Ron stepped on the peddle.

━━

Millicent tried her best to detangle her mess of hair with her hands. It was dirty and all wet from sweat.

"Spiders! Why spiders?!"

"Oh Godric, it grabbed me by my throat!"

"Merlin, please don't tell me this is spider piss in my hair!"

Harry ran a hand through his hair, exhausted from the night's events.

"I'll never be able to look at another spider ever again!"

"What clue did we even get from that? That it isn't a giant spider lurking inside the school? Great! It could literally be anything else now!"

Harry walked in front, trying to drown out his friends' complaining.

"I can still feel them crawl all over me!" Ron started to swipe invisible spiders off of his arms, "Get them off!"

"I'm having one stern conversation with the groundskeeper once her gets released, that's for sure. What was he thinking? Befriending an acromantula? How did he even befriend it? Oh, my poor beautiful hair!"

Harry shoved his fingers inside his ears and walked away.

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