— — — — — —
"Wh–what, Aragog?"
After a brief moment of panic, Hagrid managed to squeeze out a nervous smile. "There are Acromantulas in the forest, sure, but they live in the deepest part of the Forbidden Forest. It's… really far."
"Tom, leave this to me," he added hastily. "You want spider legs or venom?"
Hagrid's heart sank.
It seemed like he just couldn't get along with anyone named Tom Riddle. One had ruined his life—got him expelled and nearly locked in Azkaban.
The other… well, this Tom had helped him more than once, but the things he said still made Hagrid's blood run cold.
"Hagrid, lying doesn't suit you. I don't have the patience for it either."
Tom's voice cut through his fumbling excuses. Hagrid's eyes darted everywhere, hands twitching, words stumbling over themselves, his whole face spelling out "I'm fuckin lying."
"Do you know how I found the Chamber of Secrets?" Tom asked softly. "I got hold of a memory of Voldemort when he was young. You were there, Hagrid. And so was Aragog. I even saw the day you were expelled."
Hagrid's face turned ashen.
Tom went on, calm and matter-of-fact: "I've got decent relations with the centaurs. They told me about a massive colony of Acromantulas deep in the Forbidden Forest—one of the largest in the world. And apparently, a spider king showed up only a few decades ago."
"What's the matter? Want me to show you more proof?"
He smiled, composed and unhurried. "Hagrid, I'm asking you to take me to the spiders not because I can't find them myself, but because I don't want this to turn ugly. You've got a big mouth and not much brains, but you're not a bad guy. You've even fetched me quite a few useful things. So, I figured I'd give you some respect."
Hagrid: "..."
Was that supposed to be a compliment?
"Fine…" Hagrid finally admitted, his shoulders slumping. "Aragog exists. I didn't want you to meet him cause I was afraid you'd fight. He doesn't trust humans. Hates them, in fact."
"Why can't you just ask me for whatever materials you need?"
"Because that won't cut it." Tom had already started walking toward the forest, his voice drifting back."I need Acromantula venom in quantities you can't even imagine. Even draining every spider in the forest wouldn't be enough. This is going to be a long-term deal. Which means we need to settle it face-to-face."
"Hagrid, if you don't come and guide me, and things go bad, that's on you."
"Eh? W–wait up!" Hagrid quickly caught up with his giant stride, puzzled. "Tom, what do you need so much venom for?"
Tom cast a Charm on his own steps to match Hagrid's speed. "To change the world. How exactly… it's complicated. You wouldn't get it."
"But if negotiations go well, I'll give you a bag with an Undetectable Extension Charm. Same size as the one I mentioned last time."
That perked Hagrid right up, the gloom melting from his face.
As for what Tom really needed the venom for? Easy—The Codex.
Right now, the magical notebook for Codex could store close to a million words. With a simple Erasing Charm, the whole chat history could be wiped clean and reused.
Tom couldn't allow that. How was he supposed to make big money if people just recycled it? Even if Codex brought in other side benefits, he wasn't about to run it at a loss. He had to impose limits.
Acromantula venom had an extremely strong repulsive effect on magic. With it, ordinary wizards wouldn't be able to erase records—or even shrink the letters to cram in more text. If he trimmed down the available pages on top of that, he could slash costs even further.
And there you go—subscription fees secured.
Yup, he'd make wizards pay a monthly fee for unlimited words.
So those spiders were working for him, like it or not. Not even Merlin could save them.
...
They walked fast. After about half an hour, they had pushed into the forest's depths.
With Hagrid leading, there was no need to bother with safe routes. They just went straight ahead, Hagrid swigging from his wineskin and humming off-key from time to time.
Then suddenly—centaurs.
Several stepped out of the trees, blocking their path.
Hagrid blinked in surprise, then broke into a grin. "Magorian! Been a while. You're on patrol today?"
"Correct." Magorian nodded. "Our scouts saw you enter, Hagrid. What business do you have in Centaur territory?"
The question was aimed at Hagrid, but his eyes kept flicking toward Tom.
Last year, he and Firenze had suffered under this boy for an entire term. This year was better—Tom hadn't been showing up every week to torment them with "lessons."
But now here he was again, side by side with Hagrid. Magorian had rushed over the moment he heard.
The centaurs behind him stood tense, their gazes fixed on Tom. The last clashes weren't something they had forgotten.
"Just passing through," Hagrid said cheerfully. "We're heading to the Acromantula colony. I'll visit properly another time."
"Very well. Stay safe." Magorian stepped aside, signaling the others to clear the path.
"Talk later," Tom said with a smile.
Magorian's heart skipped a beat. That didn't sound like polite small talk at all.
'Haven't you already learned everything you wanted from us about herbology? Why come back to bother us? Damn you demon.'
If Tom had known Magorian was cursing him in his head, he'd have shouted his innocence.
He was planning to bring good news!
No more idle centaurs with nothing to do. Soon they could all become proud workers, churning out the special paper he needed for production.
Magorian and Firenze would probably cry with gratitude.
If they weren't his teachers, he wouldn't even be offering them such a golden opportunity to change their station in life.
---
Another half hour passed.
Hagrid's expression grew serious.
"Tom… we're in Acromantula territory now. Aragog and his children won't harm me, but you're a stranger. They'll see you as a threat."
"Relax," Tom said seriously. "I've got a good temper—especially with people who are useful to me."
The corner of Hagrid's mouth twitched. "Tom, you're an honest lad, but some things don't need to be spelled out that bluntly."
They reached a sunken clearing ringed by towering trees. In front of them stretched a bare, open patch of ground. A massive spiderweb spanned across the hollow, its shadow obscuring whatever lay within.
"Aragog!" Hagrid bellowed into the web.
The response came immediately—rustling from all directions. Some in the treetops, some from beneath the ground.
Hagrid instinctively stepped in front of Tom, drawing the great bow slung across his back. Even if he was allowed to wield a wand openly now, old habits died hard. The bow always gave him more comfort in moments like this.
Spiders poured in from everywhere, sliding down on silken threads, crawling out of the soil. Big and small, well... none of them truly small—the tiniest still larger than a house-elf, the largest looming bigger than a thestral-drawn carriage.
"Stop! Aragog, it's me!"
Hagrid roared, loosing an arrow as a warning.
The horde froze, but only just enough to leave the two of them a cramped circle barely ten meters wide.
"Hagrid, this is the first time you've brought someone here."
The words came with a harsh, clicking rasp. A spider the size of an elephant crawled into view, squeezing out of the central web. Its body and legs were dark and mottled with gray, its grotesque head dominated by oversized mandibles. Each of its many eyes was glazed over with a white film.
A spider with cataracts.
Tom, for the first time, realized even magical beasts could go blind with age.
"This is my friend—my benefactor!" Hagrid shouted. "Tell your children to back down. Don't frighten him!"
"Benefactor?" Aragog's sightless eyes shifted toward Tom. "A human student? How could a student be your benefactor?"
"Because he solved the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets!" Hagrid declared loudly. "The Ministry cleared me of the charges from years ago. Aragog, Tom is your benefactor too—you're no longer branded a killer!"
"I don't care."
Aragog clacked his massive mandibles, his gravelly voice filled with hunger. "Hagrid, I swore not to harm you or humans. But when fresh meat walks in on its own… I can't resist. Take him and leave. I'll give you ten seconds. My children will attack you after."
Hagrid's face fell. That was the difference between men and beasts. No matter how much wisdom a creature had, instinct still ruled.
He reached out, meaning to grab Tom and drag him away. But Tom sidestepped nimbly and raised his voice.
"Aragog! If you can't control your brood, then let me handle it for you."
"You?" Aragog sneered. "Do as you like. Even if you slaughter them, I won't care. My children are too many. But you'll die for it."
"...Really?"
Tom pulled something from his bag—a severed serpent's head—and tossed it onto the ground.
BOOM.
The heavy head of the basilisk hit the dirt with a thud, sending up a plume of dust.
The endless chittering of mandibles fell silent. For a long heartbeat, the forest was still. Then came the shrieking. Spiders scattered in every direction, retreating faster than they had charged.
Thud
Even Aragog tried to flee, but his ancient body betrayed him. His legs buckled, unable to hold him upright. He collapsed, sprawling helplessly on the ground.
In the space of moments, the clearing was empty but for the trembling spider king. His children had fled far, far away.
"This… this is…" Aragog's voice shook.
"You can't even say its name?"
Tom toyed idly with his wand, a faint smile on his lips. "I killed this basilisk. If you can't even bring yourself to speak its name, then you have no right to speak mine. Call me… Master. Understand?"
Hagrid stood frozen, stunned into silence.
.
.
.