Chapter 69. Abnormal Acromantulas
The bell signalling the end of class rang, and Professor Snape, face like thunder, pivoted on his heel and strode out of the classroom.
Neville let out a huge sigh of relief, cleaning the potion-filled cauldron as he spoke with lingering dread.
"Professor Snape's mood hasn't been great lately.
Every time I'm in his class I feel like I've lost half my life..."
During today's lesson, Snape had repeatedly passed behind him, his face set in a scowl, and even the breeze of his cloak as he walked made one feel chilled.
So whenever footsteps sounded behind him, he couldn't help tensing up, and he made several very basic mistakes in a row.
Snape had glared at him, eyes murderous.
If it hadn't been during class, Neville reckoned he would have been dragged off and buried.
"Who told you to mess up even slicing porcupine quills?" Hannah said with a laugh.
"Look at Duncan.
He hasn't made a mistake at all, and Snape's attitude towards him is pretty good."
"I— I was just nervous..." Neville muttered, his voice much lower.
While tidying the desk, Duncan smiled and said, "It's fine.
Next time, pull yourself together.
When Snape comes up to you, show him your real ability."
"Forget it, forget it, that won't be necessary," Neville shook his head again and again.
"I think things are fine as they are!"
Although Snape had never criticised Duncan, he basically asked Duncan questions every single class.
It was as if he were accumulating rage points, wanting to unleash them all at once the next time Duncan slipped up.
Neville thought about it and felt his little heart couldn't withstand that sort of crushing pressure.
Besides, being sniped at by Snape every class wasn't so bad.
At least it kept him focused, so he wouldn't make any big mistakes.
Once the desktop and the cauldrons were all cleaned, Duncan called out, and he and Neville and the others left the classroom together.
After eating in the Great Hall, Duncan stood and said, "You lot go back to the dormitories first in a bit.
I need to take care of something."
Neville, who was chomping on a fried pork cutlet, lifted his head, his eyes questioning.
Duncan smiled and said, "Professor Kettleburn has a lesson this afternoon and asked me to be his assistant.
I need to get things ready in advance."
"Oh... God!" Hannah tilted her head back to stare at the ceiling and sighed dramatically.
"You're already becoming a teaching assistant?
Could you leave a little room for survival for students like us, whose heads are still only filled with what to eat for lunch and what to eat for dinner?"
Ellie also set down her drink and nodded, as if to say everything Hannah had said was absolutely right.
Duncan said smugly, "Can't be helped.
When you've got the skill, it's hard to keep a low profile!"
"Ugh..." Neville, Hannah, and Ellie all looked at Duncan with the same disgusted expression.
Hannah pretended to retch.
"Do us a favour and go already.
If you stay any longer, we might just throw up what we've eaten!"
"Geniuses are always lonely..." Duncan sighed, and before Hannah could get another word in, he slipped out of the Great Hall at speed.
Following the path towards the forest, he passed Hagrid's hut, and Fang barked enthusiastically to greet him.
You could tell that, ever since escaping Hagrid's lovingly prepared lunches, Fang's spirits had improved a great deal.
Entering the forest and arriving at the spot where he usually met the pixies, he found them all perched together in a tree, waiting.
Hearing Duncan's voice, the pixies stopped chattering, flew over to him, and widened their eyes to peer behind him.
Unfortunately, they didn't see the scene they wanted to see...
One pixie asked, "Didn't you say lots of students were going to have class with us?
Where are they?"
"Don't worry, they're coming in the afternoon," Duncan replied.
"Do you remember all the details I told you yesterday afternoon?"
"We remember..." the pixies answered lazily.
"We're to cooperate with Professor Kettleburn.
When he introduces us, we must keep still and not cause trouble.
We can only start moving when he tells us to move."
"And we're only allowed to play pranks on those students, not hurt them.
You've said that loads of times.
If you aren't sick of saying it, we're sick of hearing it!"
"It's my first time as an assistant, I'm a bit nervous — have mercy," Duncan said with a smile.
"Besides, only if you lot behave will Professor Kettleburn bring you to class often.
Wouldn't that mean even more students to play with?"
"That does sound right..." The pixies suddenly realised, and their mood gradually lifted.
Seeing the pixies like this, Duncan knew they wouldn't deliberately mess things up in the afternoon, and he relaxed a little.
"By the way, Duncan, there's something I want to tell you," Nofi flew down from above.
"What is it?" Duncan's gaze shifted over.
Nofi said angrily, "You need to keep those Acromantulas in line.
They're getting more and more out of hand!"
"That's right!" the other pixies chimed in.
"They seem to have gone mad lately, always wanting to come out and seize territory!"
"Exactly, and a few times they've even set their sights on us."
"Although we gave them a thorough thrashing, there are just too many of them..."
"Of course we're not afraid.
They're just annoying.
You ought to make them behave."
"Oh?
Could it be they don't have enough food?" Duncan said, suddenly remembering that he still had a task related to the Acromantulas unfinished, and that their leader, Aragog, had once made an agreement with Hagrid that they would not leave the demarcated area without permission.
According to Hagrid, those spiders had always been obedient and had never broken their agreement.
But now there had been a change, so something must have happened.
"Thanks for the reminder.
I'll go and check when I have time," Duncan said.
"Be careful when you do," Nofi warned.
"I've got a feeling there's something wrong with them."
"Got it.
I'll go with Hagrid," Duncan nodded, then asked, "What about the centaurs?
What have they been up to lately?"
"Same as before.
They patrol the forest every day, going back and forth along the same places.
No idea what they spend all day looking at..." The pixie's tone was a bit chilly, as if that sort of life were terribly dull.
"But they've been a lot more on guard recently," Nofi mused.
"Before, when we showed up near them, they barely paid us any mind.
But in the last few times, the moment we approached, they raised their bows to warn us."
"Once they even let an arrow fly straight at us.
I almost didn't dodge it!" another pixie said, shaking a tiny fist in anger.
Duncan soothed them with a few words, then asked, "Have you found the unicorn herd?"
"No!" the pixies all shook their heads together.
"They're very secretive.
They've never shown themselves..."
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