pertwk Chapter 688 Aragog
Chapter 688 Aragog
Chapter 688 Aragog
As soon as the two arrived in front of Hagrid's cabin, Harry went up and knocked on the door.
There was no response. Hagrid wasn't home, and the absence of even Tooth's bark meant he was currently patrolling the Forbidden Forest—Hagrid only took Tooth with him when patrolling the Forbidden Forest; at other times, he would lock the timid hound inside the house.
What's going on? Felix Felicis sent Harry to find Hagrid, but Hagrid isn't home.
Are they just waiting here?
Siren glanced at Harry and noticed that there was no disappointment on his face, as if he had known this would happen all along, and that knocking on the door was just a formality.
"Wait a little longer, I have a feeling Hagrid will be back soon," Harry said.
The next second, Xilun heard heavy footsteps coming from the woods behind him.
Hagrid returned, his head down, his eyes red-rimmed as if he had just cried. He walked straight past Siren and Harry in a daze, completely unaware of them.
"Hagrid".
He didn't come to his senses until Harry called out softly.
"Oh, Harry, Celen—you—" He choked up before he could finish, tears streaming down his face and into his messy beard.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked softly.
"No, it wasn't me—it was Aragog." Hagrid sobbed loudly, "It's dead—just now—"
""
Harry patted Hagrid's arm reassuringly; it was the highest point he could reach without much effort.
Aragog, the giant eight-eyed spider that Hagrid kept as a pet during his school days, was the reason he was framed by Tom Riddle and ultimately expelled.
Hagrid never held a grudge against the giant spiders for this. When he was appointed Warden of the Hogwarts Game Park by Dumbledore, he even helped Aragorn settle down in the Forbidden Forest. By now, the giant spiders in the Forbidden Forest have formed a huge colony, with hundreds of adult spiders as big as cartwheels.
To be honest, even Siren didn't know if Hagrid's decision was right or wrong, but Aragog did accompany Hagrid for many years.
Hagrid buried his face in his large hands and sobbed, "I'm so glad you came—I know Aragog is very old, and I know it will die soon, but I really can't face it alone—"
"I understand, Hagrid," Harry said. "How about we give it a funeral? We don't have anything else to do today."
Hagrid looked up.
That's what he was thinking too, to give Aragog, who had been with him for nearly fifty years, a grand funeral. But he was worried that Harry and Cyron would refuse, after all, who would want to attend the funeral of an eight-eyed spider?
Unexpectedly, Harry brought it up himself.
"Of course—this is great—oh no, I mean, this means a lot to me. Wait a minute."
After saying that, he turned around and disappeared into the woods again.
Harry didn't follow them. Instead, after Hagrid left, he naturally walked to the nearby Herbology Greenhouse.
Just as Xiren was wondering what he wanted to do, the greenhouse door was pushed open from the inside, and Slughorn walked out.
"Thank you so much for your trouble. Pomona, the herbalists in Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley are all closed, and I can't buy mandrake roots at all."
"It's alright," Professor Sprout's voice came from the greenhouse. "Is this enough?"
"That's enough—oh, Harry, what are you doing here?"
Slughorn closed the greenhouse door, and as soon as he turned around, he saw Harry standing there.
"Good morning, Professor," Harry said with a smile.
A flicker of panic crossed Slughorn's face, but he quickly forced a calm smile.
"Good morning—I thought you went to Hogsmeade Village," he said.
"I wanted to go, but I had to stay at school because I had to attend a funeral."
"funeral?"
"But I haven't heard of anyone dying. The professors and students at the school are all fine."
"It's an eight-eyed giant spider, Professor," Harry explained.
"Oh, right, I remember now!" Slughorn slapped his bald head. "I remember once when we were drinking, Hagrid mentioned his little darling. So, Aragog is dead?"
"That's right, and just now."
Siren could clearly see that Slughorn's eyes lit up.
"The venom of the giant spider is a good thing—if that beast just died, the venom might not have dried yet—I'll go get two bottles of wine; Hagrid must be really craving a drink right now."
Slughorn hurriedly ran back to the castle.
Siren already knows what Harry is planning. If things continue like this, Slughorn and Hagrid will definitely drink together, and once he's drunk, his guard will drop to its lowest point.
Will Slughorn drink too much?
The answer is yes.
Slughorn has been under immense psychological pressure ever since he learned that Voldemort wanted to kill him.
But because of what happened last time, he dared not drink again and could only keep enduring it, telling himself with various reasons that he couldn't drink.
In this situation, he'd definitely drink too much if he touched alcohol. The problem is, how do we get Harry to drink it?
However, with the help of Felix Felicis, Harry will surely succeed.
Siren pursed his lips. Slughorn probably never dreamed that the Felix Felicis he gave to Harry would become the key Harry used to extract his memories.
Hagrid returned quickly, carrying a giant spider bigger than a car. Slughorn also returned, bringing two bottles of fine wine (not from Three Brooms, but from his own purchase for the start of the semester).
Hagrid decided to bury Aragog next to the pumpkin patch at dusk, because that was its favorite spot.
During this time, Harry and Slughorn comforted him and chatted with him in the cabin.
Meanwhile, in the Forbidden Forest behind them, Siron looked up at the giant spider that was taller than him.
Deeper inside, several dark shadows flickered and rustled. They were eight-eyed giant spiders, seemingly warning Siren to stay away from their leader.
However, Xiren was not afraid at all and calmly turned a ring on her finger.
The ring, resembling the eye of a snake, emitted a faint orange-yellow light as Xilun turned it. In an instant, the eight-eyed giant spiders fled as if their lives depended on it, disappearing completely in the blink of an eye.
Meanwhile, inside the cabin, Slughorn was craning his neck, trying to see outside through the ventilation window in the roof.
"Hagrid, are you sure Ollivander won't set his sights on Aragog? I mean, he's a wandmaker and obsessed with all sorts of magical creature materials."
"Of course not, Horace." Hagrid wiped the tears from his face. "I've already told Siron that anyone who gets close to Aragog except me will be attacked by the other eight-eyed spiders. Siron is always very prudent and wouldn't be so reckless."
"That's good." Slughorn nodded. "That's good."