During the day, Hogwarts belonged to the students, but at night, the Owls in the Owlery took over the Castle.
Normally, they would practice hunting skills on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest, but tonight, led by Storm, the Owls were searching everywhere for Peter Pettigrew.
Although Pettigrew had turned into a rat and was difficult to track, don't forget that Owls are natural predators of rats; they have a knack for finding rat traces.
In the dormitory, Charlie pushed open the door and walked out.
Justin and Ernie were chatting on their beds and weren't surprised to see Charlie leave.
Since their first year, they had grown accustomed to Charlie sneaking out at night.
Charlie went down the stairs to the first floor and paused at the corner.
In the corridor ahead, Filch walked by with an oil lamp, Madam Norris trailing at his feet.
The old caretaker was muttering something, probably complaining again about students being unruly at night.
Charlie cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself and continued forward.
Filch didn't notice anything unusual, but Madam Norris looked in Charlie's direction with some confusion.
"Meow."
"What's wrong? Are you hungry? Have a dried fish."
Filch happily pulled out a dried fish from his pocket and fed it to his cat.
Charlie glanced at them; Filch was indeed very good to his cat.
Charlie passed through the entrance hall and pushed open the Castle doors.
The cold night wind blew in, carrying the scent of trees from the Forbidden Forest, and the moon in the sky was perfectly full.
Storm was flying in the air and, seeing Charlie, immediately swooped down, landing in front of him and rubbing his head against Charlie.
Charlie reached out and stroked its head.
"How is it? Any discoveries?"
Storm shook its head, its wings drooping slightly, looking a little dejected.
Tonight, it had led the other Owls in turning the outside of the Castle upside down, not even missing a single rat hole on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest, but it hadn't found that particular rat.
Charlie patted Storm's wing.
"It's okay, keep looking. Peter must still be at Hogwarts."
He turned and looked at the Castle, his gaze deepening.
"He wouldn't dare transform back into human form now; if he left Hogwarts, he'd truly have to live like a rat in the sewers."
Charlie sneered.
"I don't believe that after more than ten years of living comfortably with the Weasley family, he could now steel himself to wander."
People like Peter Pettigrew are greedy for life, afraid of death, and timid as a mouse. He had been a pet in the Weasley family for over ten years, with food and drink every day.
Having gotten used to such a life, would he go out and be a true rat? Scavenge in sewers? Fight with stray cats?
Impossible.
He must still be hiding in some corner of Hogwarts, praying that Sirius Black would be caught quickly.
To find him, Charlie had also asked Billy to have the House-elves search for Peter in the Castle. Adding the Owls outside the Castle, now only the deeper parts of the Forbidden Forest remained unsearched.
Although Charlie thought it unlikely that Peter would go deep into the Forbidden Forest, as there might be dangerous creatures there, just to be safe, Charlie still decided to find a way to search the deeper parts of the Forbidden Forest.
Charlie remembered that Hagrid kept quite a few Acromantulas, so why not ask them for help?
So Charlie walked towards Hagrid's Hut and knocked on the door.
There was a clatter inside, then the light came on, and Hagrid opened the door, wearing a coat.
Seeing it was Charlie, he frowned.
"Charlie, it's already night," Hagrid said in a low voice.
"You're out after hours."
Charlie rolled his eyes.
"Do you think it's possible for me not to be out after hours?"
Hagrid scratched his head, looking a bit troubled.
"Then don't appear in front of me, don't forget, I'm a Professor."
"Professor Hagrid," Charlie's voice became slow and deliberate.
"I think you don't want to see Norbert again."
Hagrid immediately panicked.
"Tsk tsk tsk," Charlie shook his head and sighed.
"Last time I rode Norbert, she was still calling your name."
"You don't want to never see Norbert again, Professor?"
[Your Majesty threatens the Professor, committing an offense in front of him, tyrant points +10]
Hearing this, Hagrid immediately changed his tune, declaring righteously,
"I haven't seen you tonight!"
He pushed the door wider and stepped aside to let Charlie in.
"Come in quickly, don't let anyone see."
Charlie walked into the Hut.
The fireplace inside was burning brightly, and Fang was dozing by the fire.
Hagrid closed the door and turned to look at Charlie.
"You came to see me so late, there must be something, right?"
Charlie sat by the fireplace and went straight to the point.
"I remember the Acromantula you keep is called Aragog, right?"
At the mention of this, Hagrid's whole demeanor brightened. His eyes lit up under his thick hair, and his voice was filled with unconcealed excitement.
"You mean Aragog? He's my good friend! When I was a student, he was just a little guy, and now he's—"
"I need Aragog's help," Charlie interrupted him.
"Can you take me to see him?"
Hagrid's enthusiasm immediately waned.
"Aragog is old now, very old. He's not as agile as he used to be, and I'm afraid he can't help much."
Charlie thought for a moment and changed his question.
"Didn't you bring a dozen Acromantulas to class last time? What about them?"
Hagrid scratched his head, looking a bit awkward; that class had earned him quite a scolding.
"Those are Aragog's descendants."
"Does he have many descendants?"
"Many," Hagrid nodded.
"Very many."
Charlie's eyes lit up.
"That's perfect, the more spiders, the better."
Hagrid was stunned for a moment, seemingly not expecting Charlie to say that.
He hesitated for a moment, then finally stood up and took a lantern from the wall.
"Alright, let's go, I'll take you."
The two walked out of the Hut.
The Forbidden Forest at night was shrouded in darkness, with overlapping tree shadows, and the leaves rustled as the wind blew.
Hagrid walked ahead, holding the lantern, and in his hand, he also held a small pink umbrella—which was actually his wand.
Hagrid's wand had been broken once due to the Chamber of Secrets incident; he had repaired it and hidden it inside the umbrella.
Although his name had been cleared and he could now use a normal wand, he had grown accustomed to keeping his wand hidden in the umbrella.
After walking for about twenty minutes, the surrounding trees became denser, and the light grew dimmer.
But the ground was barren, as if repeatedly grazed by sheep, revealing bare earth and tree roots.
Hagrid stopped and lowered his voice.
"Further ahead is Aragog's territory. Don't wander off, those little ones aren't very friendly to strangers."
Charlie nodded.
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"