Chapter 21
Hagrid's dog Fang trotted behind the three as they followed Harry out of Hagrid's cottage. They saw the trail of spiders crawl out of his window, and to Ron's dismay, the Dark Forest.
"Come on." Harry said.
"What?" Ron said, his eyes wide and his voice cracking.
"Ron, it'll be alright." Cassidy said. "They're only spiders-"
"Only spiders?" He repeated, voice higher than before. "Those things are the most vicious, deadly-"
"When you two are done being scaredy-cats, let me know. You heard what Hagrid said, 'follow the spiders.'" Harry looked between Cassidy and Ron, one eyebrow arched.
"We're heading to the Dark Forest!" Ron said, looking at the other two frantically, hoping they'd change their minds. Harry stared at him, and then went towards the Forest with his lantern outstretched.
Cassidy shrugged, and followed Harry, ignoring the heat from her necklace and the whispers she thought she could hear.
"Bloody spiders!" Ron grumbled, following after Cassidy. "Why couldn't it be 'follow the butterflies?'"
"Shut up, 'ickle Ronniekins." She replied. Ron threw a pebble at her back.
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The mist of the Dark Forest twisted around the group's legs as they followed behind Harry, and the only sound being heard was their footsteps and the eerie, whistling wind. Cassidy's necklace glowed dimly, and burned; but she summed it up to being in the Dark Forest, a place that was most likely teeming with Dark Magic. She sighed out loud.
"Harry, how much longer?" Cassidy groaned, dragging her feet beside a trembling Ron. Fang sniffed the trail in front of them dutifully.
"I'm not sure, Cass, Hagrid didn't exactly give us a time frame." He replied sarcastically. Ron whimpered, staring down at the trail of spiders.
"Oh, come off it, Ron. Why're you so scared of those things anyway?" Cassidy asked.
"They're really scary, all right?!" He snapped, eyes still to the ground. Cassidy scoffed, rolling her eyes. Ron looked up at her, and his expression immediately made her feel sorry for being mean.
"Alright, Ron. I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to be an arse. Now, will you tell me what's wrong?" Cassidy asked again, more gently now. Ron stared at her, and her lips curved into a reassuring, albeit nervous smile. He hesitated before speaking.
"W-When I was little, and I broke Fred's toy broom, he turned my favorite teddy into a huge spider. It scared the daylights out of me...couldn't sleep for a week. My mum spanked him, all right, but... it still haunts me."
Cassidy blinked at Ron for a few seconds, then burst out laughing. The foreign sound seemed to disturb the Forest, and Ron's face turned a deep shade of red.
"Oi! It's not funny, alright?!" He protested, eyes wide with embarrassment. Cassidy ignored him and kept laughing, holding her sides. Ron watched her laugh, how the glow from her necklace reflected off her skin in just the right way, and got even angrier with the whole thing because of it.
"Well, forget you, then." He grumbled, catching up with Harry. Cassidy finally stopped laughing, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Oh, Ron, I'm sorry. It's just... imagining your teddy turn into a-" she stopped speaking suddenly, as her necklace glowed brighter and the three came to a clearing. Ron squeaked.
"I don't like this." He said, voice cracking again. Cassidy found it adorable, but didn't say anything.
"You and me both," she agreed, holding her necklace tightly as Fang ducked beneath a tree root.
"Cassidy, I don't like this at all." Ron clung to her arm, and she looked down at it, feeling her face grow warm.
"Shush." Harry said, eyes still ahead of the group.
"Get off, Ron." Cassidy mumbled softly, avoiding eye contact. Ron didn't hear, and she made no effort to shrug him off.
A swarm of spiders had followed Fang under the tree root, but Cassidy and Ron weren't paying attention. Ron was far too busy looking around like something was going to attack him any moment, and Cassidy was busy staring at his pale hand clutching her arm. She looked deeply confused, and her face was becoming warmer by the second. Chalking it down to fever, Cassidy looked at Harry inspecting the spiders crawling away.
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"Harry, what is it?" She asked.
"Can we go back now?" Ron whimpered, clutching onto Cassidy's arm tighter.
"Come on." Harry said, walking further into the dark. Cassidy moved to follow him, but Ron held her back, frozen to the spot.
"Ron," she said gently, "we need to go." He shook his head slowly, eyes glued to the swarm of spiders that crawled where Harry had stood moments ago. Cassidy sighed, taking his hand from her arm gingerly. Ron's eyes snapped from the spiders to her, watching closely as she put his pale, freckled hand in her dark, smooth one.
"You'll be alright, yeah?" She whispered, a grin spreading on her face. "Sorry for laughing about the spiders."
He didn't say anything, forgetting the Forest for a moment and looking into Cassidy's face. The glow from the necklace illuminated her soft, youthful features, and added fire to her already fierce hazel brown eyes.
"Yeah, it's, um... it's alright." He whispered back. Cassidy stared into his eyes. They were ocean-blue.
"They really are a perfect blue." She said, thoughtful.
"What?" He said stupidly.
"Your eyes, you numpty." She giggled. Ron stared back at her, entranced.
"Are you two coming or not?!" Harry yelled, and Cassidy snapped to attention, pulling Ron along with her under the tree root.
He didn't glance at the spiders once.
They crouched lower as they went through the tunnel that was beyond the tree root, the only things illuminating the way being Harry's lantern and Cassidy's necklace.
"Gothic." She whispered, looking at a hanging spider spinning a web. When Ron turned to see what she was talking about, she gently moved his head the other way, eyes still on the spider as they left the tunnel.
They were now in a much larger clearing, and Cassidy let go of Ron's hand as they walked further into it. Harry still led, fearless and silent, and she wondered how he must be feeling right now, with everything. A loud sound drew her out of those thoughts, and Cassidy looked up to see a mass of spider webs.
"What in Merlin's name..?" She whispered, furrowing her brow in alarm. "Harry, what is this?"
"I have no idea." He breathed, looking up at the spectacle in horror.
"We're gonna die." Ron whimpered. "Merlin, I know Cassidy's usually the one to say this, but take us now. We're ready."
"Ron, don't be silly, we're not going to die-" Cassidy started.
"Who is it?" A deep, booming voice called out, making the three jump.
"I take it back," Cassidy shut her eyes, clapping her palms together in prayer. Ron did the same. "Merlin, take us. Take us now."
"Don't panic." Harry said to the both of them, whispering.
"Hagrid," the voice continued, "is that you?"
"To my father, I dearly apologize for never listening when you tell me not to get into trouble." Cassidy whispered, still praying with Ron, who was close to sobbing as he nodded along with her.
"You two, stop doing that." Harry scolded before turning back to the source of the voice. "We're friends of Hagrid."
"We? Potter, who is we?" Cassidy exclaimed, exasperated. She whirled back to the source of the voice as a large spider leg protruded from a hole. She gasped, trying to cover Ron's eyes before he opened them, but it was too late. His face paled, mouth agape as he stared in horror.
The rest of the spider's body came up, and the three students took nervous steps backward.
"Oh, it's over." Cassidy muttered, grabbing Ron's hand. He squeezed it back like it was second nature.
Silently, the large spider stared down at them.
"Are you going to eat us?!" Cassidy yelled, her voice echoing. The beast did not reply. "Do you understand English?!" She yelled again. Harry felt like throwing her.
"Y-you're Aragog, aren't you?" Harry asked.
"Yes." The spider replied. "Hagrid has never sent men into our Hollow before."
"I'm not a man!" Cassidy piped up, pointing to herself for extra emphasis. "And definitely not tasty!" Ron looked around at the spiders in silent horror as Harry continued to speak, and Cassidy used both of her hands to redirect his eyes to hers.
"You'll be alright, stupid." She whispered. He nodded, her hands on his cheeks, but still looked like he wanted to faint.
"...they think he opened the Chamber of Secrets." Harry completed, still talking to Aragog. "Like before."
"That's a lie." Aragog said.
"Called it!" Cassidy said, pumping her fist.
"Hagrid never opened the Chamber of Secrets." he continued.
"So you're not the monster?" Harry asked, uncertain.
"No. The monster was born in the castle."
All of a sudden, a sharp pain went through Cassidy's skull, and she winced, holding her head as her vision blurred.
She wasn't facing the spider anymore.