Ineffable | Harry Potter - George Weasley // COMPLETED

14 | Arachnophobia

Venturing deeper and deeper into the Dark Forest, with Fang as our loyal guide, the spider pack multiplied along with the goosebumps on my arms. I'd always hated the dark, my mind running with all of the things that could be stalking us from the shadows, but now, when I knew for a fact that the dark was full of monsters, it made it so much worse.

Behind the black cape of the night, whatever was out there was undoubtedly watching us in that very moment, waiting for the right moment to attack.

"Harry, I don't like this." Ron whimpered as we stepped over rocks and roots while also being careful not to squash any of the small, but still fear-inducing, spiders. I had mocked Ron when he was scared back at Hagrid's, but now I understood where he was coming from.

Watching the ground carefully to make sure he didn't trip and go face-first into the many spiders, Ron froze for a moment. "Harry, I don't like this at all," he complained once more for good measure.

"Shush!" Harry hushed him, holding the light out further to illuminate the tunnel that the spiders were heading into.

"Can we go back now?" Ron pleaded, his voice full to the brim with fear.

Harry only shook his head as he took the first few steps into the spider-infested tunnel. "Come on."

Kneeling down, we followed Harry and Fang, who was surprisingly brave for a 'coward', as Hagrid had branded him, and finally came up the other side where large roots twisted everywhere, giving perfect places for cobwebs to be made.

As we explored further into the tunnel, the spiders got larger in size. "Who is it?" a deep voice spoke from somewhere in the tunnel, followed by loud footsteps. "Hagrid? Is that you?"

"We're friends of Hagrid's," Harry answered rather fearlessly as a spider ten times larger than Fang emerged from the shadows. "And you? You're Aragog, aren't you?"

The spider stared back at us with its many dark eyes, its front legs coming to rest just feet away from our bodies. "Yes." the spider spoke, truly bringing my worst nightmares to life. "Hagrid has never sent men into our hollow before."

"He's in trouble. Up at the school, there have been attacks." Harry explained as Ron glanced around, noticing the other spiders closing in on us. "They think it's Hagrid...they think he opened the Chamber of Secrets. Like before."

"That's a lie." Aragog hissed. "Hagrid never opened the Chamber of Secrets."

Harry furrowed his brows, confusion taking over the thoughts he was once so confident in. "Then you're not the monster?"

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

"Harry." I tugged on his sleeve slightly, trying to get him to notice the arachnid army forming around us. However, Harry just brushed me off. "But if you're not the monster, then what did kill that girl fifty years ago?" he asked.

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

"But have you seen it?"

"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."

"Harry!" Ron started to panic.

Fed up, Harry finally acknowledged us. "What?"

Pointing up, Harry followed our fingers with his eyes up at the hundred of spiders descending from the tall roof and heading right for us. "Well, thank you." Harry turned back to Aragog, a nervous smile on his face. "We'll just go."