Aragog
Summer was creeping over the grounds around the castle; sky and lake alike turned periwinkle blue and flowers large as cabbages burst into bloom in the greenhouses.
News of Hagrid having gotten arrested by the Ministry and Dumbledore leaving had already turned into old news.....
But with Dumbledore gone, fear had spread as never before, so that the sun warming the castle walls outside seemed to stop at the mullioned windows. There was barely a face to be seen in the school that didn't look worried and tense, and any laughter that rang through the corridors sounded shrill and unnatural and was quickly stifled.
Celestia found it unnatural to see Hogwarts like this, the castle itself had heightened its' security after she had put a good quarter of her own Magic into its walls, the fact that they weren't allowed to wander off on their own but had to move around the castle in a pack with the other students made most seem glad that they were being shepherded from class to class by teachers.
The first years were even happier, Celestia having ordered Fenris to walk with them whenever they had to walk through Corridors when switching classes and stay with them throughout the whole day until Lunch and Dinner. It was why most Professors now had placed a Dog bed in the corner of their classrooms, seeing that the beast would stay there for at least a few hours a day.
One person, however, seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere of terror and suspicion. Draco was strutting around the school as though he had just been appointed Head Boy. Regulus and their fellow Slytherins didn't realize what it was that he was so pleased about until the Potions lesson about two weeks after Dumbledore and Hagrid had left, when, sitting right in front of Draco, Regulus, and Theo had overheard him gloating to Crabbe and Goyle.
"I always thought Father might be the one who got rid of Dumbledore," he said, not troubled to keep his voice down. "I told you he thinks Dumbledore's the worst headmaster the school's ever had. Maybe we'll get a decent headmaster now. Someone who won't want the Chamber of Secrets closed. McGonagall won't last long, she's only filling in..."
"Now, now, Malfoy," said Snape, though he couldn't suppress a thin-lipped smile. "Professor Dumbledore has only been suspended by the governors. I daresay he'll be back with us soon enough."
"Yeah, right," said Draco, smirking. "I expect you'd have Father's vote, sir, if you wanted to apply for the job - I'll tell Father you're the best teacher here, sir--"
Snape smirked as he swept off around the dungeon, fortunately not spotting Seamus Finnigan, who was pretending to vomit into his cauldron.
Regulus and Theo actually for once agreed with the sentiment of a Gryffindor.....
Snape as Headmaster.........
Alone the thought made them want to rebuke.
"I'm quite surprised the Mudbloods haven't all packed their bags by now," Draco went on. "Bet you five Galleons the next one dies. Pity it wasn't Granger--"
The bell rang at that moment, which was lucky; at Draco's last words, Regulus' hand was twitching to reach for his Wand, the Cruciatus Curse on the tip of his tongue....
, ...... You made a promise to Celestia.... do not curse your cousin.....' repeated the Slytherin to himself, retreating his hand and making it stay at his side so he wouldn't be tempted.
"Hurry up, I've got to take you all to Herbology," barked Snape over the class's heads, and off they marched.
The Herbology class was very subdued; there were now two missing from their number, Justin Finch-Fletchley and Hermione Granger.
Professor Sprout set them all to work pruning the Abyssinian Shrivelfigs. And as Celestia began working on her pile she came face to face with Aiden, who had decided to work on the other side and directly in front of her.
Both said nothing, continuing on with their assignment as Regulus, Theo, and Blaise kept a close eye on their interactions, prepared to interfere should things get out of hand....
They weren't worried about what Aiden may do.... more so how the half-Veela would react when provoked enough.
There was a reason the phrase ' Never provoke a Veela ' existed, after all.
Several minutes passed before Aiden started speaking. ,, You seem to have been in a somber mood lately....."
He inwardly winced. , Really Aiden? You haven't talked in months and the first thing you say is that? Who would start a conversation like this ?'
Celestia didn't spare him a single glance, and at first he thought she hadn't heard him or was purposely ignoring him, but answered calmly. ,, As everyone has been lately.............. After all more students have been attacked.. Two of them in our year."
Call it intuition or simply the fact that he was his mothers' son, but he immediately could tell Celestia knew a lot more than she was letting out....
,, And you wouldn't happen to know what exactly is causing these attacks, would you, Celestia ?" He asked, the air around them tense, as it had been ever since their argument that was left unresolved.
,, Unfortunately, I am none the wiser than anyone else." replied the white-haired witch, lying through her teeth..
Celestia refused to tell him and the others about the reality of their current situation...
It was dangerous enough with their current group of six trying to find the possible entrance of the Chamber, even more, would guarantee the Basilisk noticing them.
Basilisks were notorious for being able to recognize their Masters and their descendants through the magic binding them together even after death. Which meant it was most likely already aware of her existence and depending on where Toms' soul piece was lurking his as well.
If confronted by two different Heirs, with vastly differentiating views, it will either lash out on them both or try to kill whoever it deemed inferior.
Seeing that Tom had met it once before, was the male Heir, and the elder of the two of them, the half-Veela was not overly confident in her chances in such a situation.
Aiden would have easily fallen for the lie if he hadn't seen Celestia easily manipulate and twist the truth to make others agree with her, quite a few times through their first year.....
She had once managed to charm bloody Binns to interrogate him on the topic of why his soul hadn't been taken to the underworld upon his death.
,, You realize that lying will not get you far this time around, right...?.." He whispered, not wanting anyone else to hear.
He had seen that Hannah and Susan were standing near Harry with another Hufflepuff, talking about the attacks in hopes of gathering information, but so far it didn't seem to have worked..
Celestia smirked the tiniest bit, and for the first time since the start of their conversation turned to look at him briefly. ,, I am well aware..... but you must take into account that I am unwilling to trust someone who has betrayed me once before."
---------------
At the end of the lesson, Professor Sprout escorted the class to their Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, where they sat down at their usual places, Hunter, Susan, and Hannah looking incredibly worried once they saw Aiden's pale face.
The Ravenclaw couldn't believe it himself, but the fact that Celestia admitted that she lost all her trust in him right to his face, made him want to curl himself into his bed and cry in despair....
Why? He did not know, but something in him told him that things wouldn't go right in the next two weeks and that he needed to protect the half-Veela.............
,, He didn't bother you, did he ?" Regulus asked the girl in question, his cold Grey eyes turning softer around the edges once they landed on her.
Celestia turned her head to look at him and he couldn't help the tiniest of smiles to slip upon his face as he noticed that she was wearing the Hourglass earring he had gifted her for Yule...
He also still wore the locket she had gifted him, safely hidden beneath his Robes.
,, He didn't... Don't worry." She assured, offering a smile in return.
Lockhart had used that exact moment and bounded into the room and the class stared at him. Every other teacher in the place was looking grimmer than usual, but Lockhart appeared nothing short of buoyant.
"Come now," he cried, beaming around him. "Why all these long faces?"
People swapped exasperated looks, but nobody answered.
Celestia was beginning to wonder if the man was even aware of anything other than himself.
She wouldn't be surprised if the answer was no.
"Don't you people realize," said Lockhart, speaking slowly, as though they were all a bit dim, "the danger has passed! The culprit has been taken away--"
"Says who?" asked Dean Thomas loudly.
"My dear young man, the Minister of Magic wouldn't have taken Hagrid if he hadn't been one hundred percent sure that he was guilty," said Lockhart, in the tone of someone explaining that one and one made two.
"Oh, yes he would," said Ronald, even more loudly than Dean.
"I flatter myself I know a touch more about Hagrid's arrest than you do, Mr. Weasley," said Lockhart in a self-satisfied tone.
Celestia let out a scoff, quiet enough that it wouldn't have been heard by Lockhart, but loud enough for those sitting close to her to hear.
Regulus glanced at her as she did, noting her hidden displeasure, before turning to face the front once more.
But Lockhart's disgusting cheeriness, his hints that he had always thought Hagrid was no good, his confidence that the whole business was now at an end, having had enough of his babbling and hints of racial creature slures she quietly took her Wand from its holster, hiding it in her sleeve so only the tip was poking out, and pointed it in the direction of the pompous Wizard.
She lightly kicked the back of Theos' chair, both he and Blaise turning to face her, when she silently gestured to her Wand, at which both perked up.
Blaise smirked, turning around and tapping the shoulders of the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff sitting in front of them, whispering something to them, at which both began grinning and leaning foreward to pass on a message.
One after another the secret message was passed from the back to the front, until it reached the very first row of tables, and all students sitting in the half-Veelas' path began adjusting themselves slightly so that she would be able to get a clear shot.
Quietly whispering the correct words, a white light shot out of the half-Veelas' Wand, hitting an unsuspecting Lockhart square in the chest, the light twinkles of light growing larger and traveling up until they reached his face.
Everyone held their breathe, waiting and watching.
,, As I was saying-" the Wizard let out a small cough, rubbing his throat in slight discomfort and confusion, before continuing. ,, there shall no longer be a need for praying!"
The class blinked, sharing glances, some turning to Celestia to try and figure out what she had done.
The Ravenclaw only offered a grin, seemingly waiting for him to continue.
Lockhart, looking just as confused as the rest, tried talking. ,, I did not mean to say that, it seems my mouth is moving on its' own to chat."
Not a single sound was made, before one after another students began to snort as they realized what the half-Veela had done.
,, A Rhyming Curse?" asked Regulus, laughter filling the air as Lockhart continued talking, his predicament made more obvious with each creative rhyme leaving his lips.
,, Something akin to it, yes." confirmed the half-Veela, Blaise grinning as he turned to face her.
,, Is there anything else it does?" asked the Slytherin, curious.
,, Just watch and enjoy the show." advised the witch, inwardly clapping her hands in excitment.
Not a second later Lockhart let out a shriek, his body beginning to glow as bright as a glowstick, his entire body neon-green beside his nose, which had turned tomato red the words I use slurs in front of my students and am a lousy git floating above his head in glitter.
The best part? Each time he stepped forward the glitter would follow, changing depending on what he was saying.
,, Whoever did this will not be met with bliss!" shouted the former Ravenclaw, the class continuing to snicker and laugh as the words changed to ' My books may be a sham but they're pretty good to make others scram '.
,, I will get you for this!" shrieked his voice throughout the classroom, angry eyes immediatley falling to an unimpressed looking Celestia.
Before he could take a single step foreward in her direction, a vine shot out of the ground and made him trip, sending him directly to his back with a groan.
Surprised, Celestia turned to look at Regulus, who had his Wand hidden in his robes and was suspiciously smirking, while laughter surrounded them.
He noticed her gaze on him and said. ,, You're not the only one with tricks up their sleeve."
She grinned at his reply, turning to the front as a slightly confused Lockhart got back on his feet.
And if anyone noticed the fact that their pinkies were intertwined while their hands rested on the free space of the bench they were sitting on, they did not mention it.
---------------
,Celestia............Celestia................' whispered a raspy voice, haunting her dreams, images of destroyed buildings, that looked suspiciously similar to images she had seen of Manhatten, with dead bodies of monsters and children alike filling the streets, on the front of her mind.
Celestia abruptly sat up in her bed, chest heaving as she grabbed her Wand and uttered a quiet Lumos, before looking around her chambers.
The room was filled with nothing but darkness, the only source of light being her Wand and the soft moonlight entering through the windows.
And besides herself, Fenris, and Chrome, and the plants there was not a single soul to be found.....
Gulping she took a deep breath to calm herself, her hand grasping the pendant of her necklace, the Magic surrounding it making her feel at ease........
It had been a very long time since a voice had plagued her in her dreams............
But unlike all the times before it wasn't one she was familiar with.......
The voice was raw and incredibly deep, something about it simply not human..........
It was ancient and gravely....... almost as if her dreams had somehow taken shape to scare her awake before she could see the outcome of the battle.
She shakily got out of bed, quietly walking towards one of the many windows where she sat down and looked outside towards the Forbidden Forest, the light of her Wand dissapearing with a mutter of the word Nox......
, Breathe Celestia.............. This is not the first time voices have haunted you in your dreams, nor will it be the last...' She thought, feeling like a child again.....
When she was younger she had been plagued with nightmares, filled with all kinds of voices that screamed and yelled at her, begging her to save them..............
Many more were filled with images and flashes of people unknown, their anguish and pain repeating itself for her to see, before she was woken up by a voice calling her name.
It had been a long time since she had one of those dreams...........
Still..... She wondered why she had heard the unfamiliar voice this time.............
Feeling herself calm down a bit, she wished for the twins or Regulus to be here with her...............
Call her absurd, but being near them made her feel more at ease than any charm or spell ever could..... and she felt protected........
A brief memory of a kind boy with silver eyes and wavy white hair flashes through her thoughts, his embrace warm and his smile bright as she snuck into his bed in the middle of the night.
Shaking her head at the thought she stopped abruptly when she noticed something weird in the corners of her eyes.
She turned her head in the direction of the Forbidden Forest, where she could have sworn that she saw the Light of a Lattern..............
, Am I imagining things...?.......' Celestia was slowly starting to worry that her memory was beginning to collapse.......
When suddenly she witnessed a sight she would never forget.
Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley appeared, almost as if out of thin air, and walked directly into the Forbidden Forest....
She blinked.............
Once.......
Twice........
Thrice.........
And before she realized what she was doing she had grabbed a Cloak, woken up Fenris and Chrome, and bolted out of the safety of the Ravenclaw tower, her Wand in one hand while the other covered her face with the hood of her cloak, her feet carrying her in the direction of the Forbidden Forest.
----------------
Celestia's feet barely touched the ground as she sprinted through the Forest, Fenris running by her side, the both of them being easily able to be mistaken as an imagination of the eye by how fast they were.
A plus of not only sharing a mind-link, but also certain abilities like an increase of her own speed, through their familiar-bond.
They had probably run for the past twenty minutes, nonstopping, even if branches and trees covered their way.
She was sure a branch or two had torn at some of her nightgown and vividly remembered one hitting her in the face for approaching it too closely.
It didn't matter to Celestia if she got injured.....
The fact that Harry was stupid enough to enter the Forbidden Forest in the middle of the night, taking Ronald with him and not telling anyone......
It made her want to Crucio him!
,, I can smell them! They're not far! " Fenris informed her, at which she let him take the front, following after him.
Only a minute or two later did they finally find the two boys, both screaming in fright as they were greeted by the sight of a hooded Celestia and Fenris.
,, Quiet!" She shushed them, taking her hood off. ,, Do you want the entire forest to hear you two idiots!?"
,, Grindelwald !?" They asked, looking at her with wide eyes.
,, What are you doing here!?" Ronald asked, turning beet red at the sight of her.
She was only wearing her nightgown and shoes, her hair hastily put together in a messy bun.
If he had turned red from anger or embarrassment, she couldn't tell, nor did she care.
,, What am I doing here? I could ask you the same! Good Rowena, what do you think you're doing here in the middle of the night !?" She asked, furious.
Suddenly there was a strange rumbling noise and then silence.
, What in Circe's name.....'
"What d'you think it's doing?" asked Harry, for a moment forgetting the issue of Celestia being present.
"Probably getting ready to pounce," answered Ronald.
They waited, shivering, hardly daring to move, while Celestia rolled her eyes....
, For the love of...'
"D'you think it's gone?" Harry whispered.
"Dunno--"
,, Oh for Hades' sake-" Celestia lifted her Wand, pointing it in the direction of the noise. ,, Lumos!"
Unexpectedly the light was returned, and to their right, came a sudden blaze of it, so bright in the darkness that both Ronald and Harry flung up their hands to shield their eyes. Fang yelped and tried to run, but got lodged in a tangle of thorns and yelped even louder, at which Fenris rolled his eyes, having immediately jumped in front of Celestia to protect her if needed.
"Harry!" Ronald shouted, his voice breaking with relief "Harry, it's our car!"
"What?"
"Come on!"
Harry blundered after Ronald toward the light, stumbling and tripping, Celestia following after them with a sigh. ,, Get moving, we don't have all day." She told Fang, growing annoyed with Hagrid's Companion.
That Dog was such a coward, she was sure it would leave Hagrid the very moment it deemed it was in danger, which was one of the reasons Celestia hated interacting with no-magical creatures....
Cats and owls she could handle, but after being threathened with a group of snarling and hungry dogs when she was five, she wanted nothing to do with them if they weren't in one way or another magical.
Fang quickly followed after them, cowering behind Fenris who gave the Dog a growl in warning, eyes flashing dangerously and promising pain if he dared to even think about running away.
A moment later they had emerged into a clearing.
Mr. Weasley's car was standing, empty, in the middle of a circle of thick trees under a roof of dense branches, its headlights ablaze. As Ronald walked, open-mouthed, toward it, it moved slowly toward him, exactly like a large, turquoise dog greeting its owner.
"It's been here all the time!" said Ronald delightedly, walking around the car. "Look at it. The forest's turned it wild..."
The sides of the car were scratched and smeared with mud. Apparently, it had taken to trundling around the forest on its own. Fang didn't seem at all keen on it; he kept close to Harry, who could feel him quivering. His breathing slowed down again, Harry stuffed his wand back into his robes.
"And we thought it was going to attack us!" said Ronald, leaning against the car and patting it. "I wondered where it had gone!"
Celestia could only watch, not sure what she was supposed to say in a situation like this.......
, Do they believe the Car is alive..?.....' She asked herself, fearing that the two Gryffindors had turned mental in the time they had spent alone in the forest....
"We've lost the trail," Harry suddenly said. "C'mon, let's go and find them."
,, You've lost what ?" asked Celestia, making the boy halt......
For a moment he had forgotten about the girl being with them....
He turned to Ronald, but the redhead didn't speak. He didn't move. His eyes were fixed on a point some ten feet above the forest floor, right behind Harry. His face was livid with terror.
Harry didn't even have time to turn around. There was a loud clicking noise and suddenly he felt something long and hairy seize him around the middle and lift him off the ground so that he was hanging facedown.
Celestia opened her eyes wide.
Struggling, terrified, they heard more clicking and saw Ronald's legs leave the ground, too, heard Fang whimpering and howling - the next moment, the boys were being swept back into the darkness of the forest.
Celestia noticed one certain thing.....six immensely long, hairy legs, the front two clutching the boys tightly below a pair of shining black pincers......
And then she realized something horrible...........
When Hagrid had been captured over fifty years ago, there had been no clear description of what the creature that had supposedly Petrified the students, looked like or what it was...............
And that Acromantula had run away right before Tom had gotten it out of Hagrid's hands..........
Knowing Hagrid and the fact that he couldn't tell the difference between dangerous creatures and harmless ones.............
, Oh sweet Circe......... He released that Acromantula into the Forbidden Forest!!!' realized the Ravenclaw, a cold sweat running down her body as she began sprinting, trying to catch up with the Acromantulas, Fenris at her side.
She didn't know how long she was running after the creatures; she only knew for certain that the darkness suddenly lifted enough for her to see that the leaf-strewn ground was now swarming with spiders. Glancing sideways, she realized that they had reached the ridge of a vast hollow, a hollow that had been cleared of trees so that the stars shone brightly onto one of the worst scenes she had ever laid eyes on.
Spiders. Not tiny spiders like those surging over the leaves below. Spiders the size of carthorses, eight-eyed, eight-legged, black, hairy, gigantic. The massive specimen that was carrying Harry and Ronald made its way down the steep slope toward a misty, domed web in the very center of the hollow, while its fellows closed in all around it, clicking their pincers excitedly at the sight of its load.
Good Rowena.............. They were going to eat the two boys and the Dog......
"Aragog!" One suddenly called. "Aragog!"
And from the middle of the misty, domed web, a spider the size of a small elephant emerged, very slowly. There was gray in the black of his body and legs, and each of the eyes on his ugly, pincered head was milky white. He was blind.
"What is it?" he said, clicking his pincers rapidly.
"Men," clicked the spider who had caught Harry.
"Is it Hagrid?" said Aragog, moving closer, his eight milky eyes wandering vaguely.
"Strangers," clicked the spider who had brought Ronald.
"Kill them," clicked Aragog fretfully. "I was sleeping..."
"We're friends of Hagrid's," Harry shouted. Celestia noticed that he had turned incredibly pale, understandable in such a dire situation...
Click, click, click went the pincers of the spiders all around the hollow.
Aragog paused.
"Hagrid has never sent men into our hollow before," he said slowly.
"Hagrid's in trouble," said Harry, breathing very fast. "That's why we've come."
"In trouble?" repeated the aged spider, and could have sworn she heard concern beneath the clicking pincers. "But why has he sent you?"
,, Remember the incident over fifty years ago ?" Celestia asked, making the Spiders notice her finally.
,, A female ?"
,, When did she get here ?"
Not caring about their blabbering Celestia walked forward, Fenris at her side growling at any Spider that dared to even think about touching his Mistress.
,, Students are once again being Petrified, and Hagrid is once again believed to be the culprit." She told him, hand slowly reaching for her hidden Wand.........
She wasn't stupid, she knew the second it deemed her and the two Gryffindors useless it would let its children have a meal.
Aragog clicked his pincers furiously, and all around the hollow the sound was echoed by the crowd of spiders; it was like applause, except applause didn't usually make someone fear for their life.
"But that was years ago," said Aragog fretfully. "Years and years ago. I remember it well. That's why they made him leave the school. They believed that I was the monster that dwells in what they call the Chamber of Secrets. They thought that Hagrid had opened the Chamber and set me free."
"And you... you didn't come from the Chamber of Secrets?" asked Harry, who could feel cold sweat on his forehead.
"I!" said Aragog, clicking angrily. "I was not born in the castle. I come from a distant land. A traveler gave me to Hagrid when I was an egg. Hagrid was only a boy, but he cared for me, hidden in a cupboard in the castle, feeding me on scraps from the table. Hagrid is my good friend and a good man. When I was discovered, and blamed for the death of a girl, he protected me. I have lived here in the forest ever since, where Hagrid still visits me. He even found me a wife, Mosag, and you see how our family has grown, all through Hagrid's goodness..."
Harry summoned what remained of his courage.
"So you never - never attacked anyone?"
"Never," croaked the old spider. "It would have been my instinct, but out of respect for Hagrid, I never harmed a human. The body of the girl who was killed was discovered in a bathroom. I never saw any part of the castle but the cupboard in which I grew up. Our kind like the dark and the quiet..."
"But then... Do you know what did kill that girl?" asked Harry. "Because whatever it is, it's back and attacking people again--"
His words were drowned by a loud outbreak of clicking and the rustling of many long legs shifting angrily; large black shapes shifted all around them....
"The thing that lives in the castle," said Aragog, "is an ancient creature we spiders fear above all others. Well, do I remember how I pleaded with Hagrid to let me go when I sensed the beast moving about the school?"
"What is it?" asked Harry urgently.
More loud clicking, more rustling; the spiders seemed to be closing in, at which Celestia made sure to step closer to the two boys.
"We do not speak of it!" said Aragog fiercely. "We do not name it! I never even told Hagrid the name of that dread creature, though he asked me, many times."
Harry didn't want to press the subject, not with the spiders pressing closer on all sides. Aragog seemed to be tired of talking. He was backing slowly into his domed web, but his fellow spiders continued to inch slowly toward Harry and Ronald.
"We'll just go, then," Harry called desperately to Aragog, hearing leaves rustling behind him.
"Go?" said Aragog slowly. "I think not..."
"But - but--"
"My sons and daughters do not harm Hagrid, on my command. But I cannot deny them fresh meat when it wanders so willingly into our midst. Goodbye, a friend of Hagrid."
Celestia drew her Wand, all Spiders suddenly flinching back when they noticed one certain fact..........
One of the girl's Wand Cores was the Venom of the very creature they refused to talk about....
Mr. Weasley's car was thundering down the slope, headlights glaring, its horn screeching, knocking spiders aside; several were thrown onto their backs, their endless legs waving in the air. The car screeched to a halt in front of Harry and Ronald and the doors flew open.
,, Go! Don't worry about me, Fenris, and I will handle them!" Celestia called out, striking quite a few of them with a well-aimed Bombarda.
,, But-! "
,, Go!" She interrupted Harry, the boy looking incredibly worried, but doing as told and entering the car with Ronald and Fang....
They left quickly, only a few spiders following after them, at which Celestia turned to Aragog her eyes glowing Golden as Magic began swirling around them.........
He could feel the shift in the air, angry clicks leaving him as he recognized the aura of the girl as one similar to that of a certain wizard that had caused the deaths of many of his children.
,, You share blood with Theseus Grindelwald, do you not?" he asked, the scent of her Core enough to confirm his suspicion.
,, ... He was my grandfather, yes.." confirmed the witch, pointing her Wand at him.
The older creature began releasing furious clicks, adjusting his stance as if preparing to attack. ,, .. I knew I should have killed the boy when I still had the chance....... Had he not been under the protection of that fool I would have ended your line then and there!"
Celestia smirked. ,, Too bad you've not taken the opportunity then." not a second later she sent a blasting Curse his way.
,, Fenris...... Kill them all...." She ordered brushing her finger over her ring and summoning her dagger, which she used to kill the Acromantulas closest to her. The Asgardian Wolf grew to his original size, his growls rumbling through the forest, and his Avada Kedavra green eyes glowing dangerously as he looked at the bigger ones near Aragog.
Killing three that were near her, the half-Veela dodged several of their attacks, gritting her teeth in annoyance as she noticed that they were grouping together to surround her.
, Gods damn it...!' she inwardly cursed, dodging once more, before pointing her Wand in the direction of a larger group.
,, Wingardium Leviosa! Accio! Incendio!" she cast, stepping out of the way as two Acromantulas jumped towards her.
Pained clicks and shrieks of deaths filled the air as Fenris tore into the bodies of the larger beasts, flesh and blood staining his teeth and the forest floor.
Soon Celestia grew tired with using her Wand, thanking her ancestors for her Veela genes, as she threw blue fireballs with her bare hands, using the destruction they caused to swing her dagger down.
The smell of smoke and sound of the ongoing battle must have drawn more attention than expected towards them, because after an hour of constant fighting the nature Spirits of the Forbidden Forest and the Centaurs joined them.
,, Kill the Acromantulas!" shouted one of the centaurs to the rest. ,, No life besides theirs shall be lost today!"
,, You pesky things ruined my beautiful trees!" shrieked one of the Spirits, her wooden features turning vicious as she used said trees to squash them to death.
,, And my leafs!" shouted another, sending sharpened leafs to cut them to pieces.
Celestia panted for air, still using her fire to burn the Acromantulas, not noticing how one had managed to sneak up behind her.
Letting out a grunt of pain as she felt the pincer of the creature dig into her back.
As quick as it had jumped on her it was flung away, two arrows hitting it in the head and the nature spirits of the Dittany herb hauling it off of her.
,, No rest for the weary, your highness!" said the spirit, grinning brightly as she helped the half-Veela back up.
Inwardly Celestia prayed for the battle to be over quickly.
---------------------
Hours later, when the sun was just about to rise, Celestia had finally been able to sit down, breathing heavily, and surrounded by hundreds of dead Acromantulas............
,, That were the last ones.... your Grace..." said Firenze, walking up to her. ,, Only Aragog remains, though his wounds indicate that he will soon perish too."
,, You have my sincerest gratitude, Firenze...." said the half-Veela, bowing her head. ,, Without the centaurs' help we would have lost long ago..."
She then turned to the remaining nature Spirits. ,, The same goes to you... Thank you."
One of the wood nymphs smiled brightly, waving her hand in a denying manner. ,, Nonesense! It was our pleasure to help! Even more so when we got the chance to battle side by side with the next Heiress to the Throne."
Smiling Celestia offered another nod before turning to the left, lightly calling out ,, Chrome...." The Niffler poked his head out from behind one of the trees, having done his part in the Fight by causing confusion between the Spiders and making them chase after him to give the others time to kill the more problematic ones.......
,, Get the Heads of the Four Houses here........ " She ordered, the Niffler nodding as he quickly began making his way back to the castle....
,, Your Highness...... You're injured.." One of the Centaurs said, two nature Spirits helping her get to her feet on her request....
Fenris who heard it whined, shrinking back in size and running towards her..
Celestia took this moment to look at herself........
When she had run after Harry and Ronald she had only been wearing a cloak that covered her Nightgown, and a pair of simple white shoes on her feet.........
The formerly white Nightgown was now covered in blood and had been torn in most places. And she had used the cloak to make hastily created Molotov cocktails at one point or another amidst the battle.
Her shoes had turned entirely red, and Celestia was sure that if she was standing before a mirror she would see herself full of scratches, bruises, and probably blood and gore.
Not to mention the poorly wrapped wound on her back...
Sighing she looked up at the sky, her eyes slowly turning back to their usual Bi-colored state as she waited for the Professors to arrive.............
She hoped Regulus wouldn't freak out when he heard about her little adventure.
, Who am I kidding, he's going to murder me.' thought the Ravenclaw, noticing Aragog not too far away.
Using the trees, she slowly made her way towards the dying creature, a small groan leaving her as she carefully sat down on the forest floor right in front of him, with crossed legs, notifying him of her presence.
,, ..... What do.... you want....?..." asked the Acromantula, unable to lift his body to even look in her direction. ,, .... Was it not enough for you.... to have killed my children.....?.... Did you come to mock... me in my final moments...?..."
Celestia cracked her neck, leaning her chin on her fist as she closely inspected the creature. ,, No.... Though if you ask me you'd deserve it by how you were the one who ordered for them to attack me to begin with."
He let out an annoyed grunt, clearly displeased by her answer.
,, Luckily for you, I am much kinder than that." said the half-Veela, tilteling her head when she noticed the many missing limbs. ,, Fenris sure did a number on you though."
The Acromantula let out another huff. ,, Has anyone..... ever told you... that you talk too much?"
,, Once or twice." shrugged the half-Veela, unbothered.
,, Tch...... You are just like your grandfather....... a true brat for someone so young........." rasped the creature, clearly struggling to breathe.
Celestia began fidgeting with her dagger as she replied ,, I wouldn't know. He died before I was born, just like most of my family."
,, .... Ahhh...... yes....... killed.... by supporters of the Dark Lord........." he recalled, almost like a fond memory, which it probably was to him.
,, ............ You know...... I always wondered...... how such a young soul could be consumed by such amounts of darkness........" he said. ,, ......... Theseus was powerful............ but his heart..... was too big for it to be wielded right................"
He shakily craned his head towards her, with his final breath uttering the words. ,, .... Perhaps......... you will be able....... to find the right balance....... he did not........ Chaos.... after all...... flows through..... your blood....... like ichor......... does... through... the gods'....."
Celestia remained quiet, watching as he stopped moving his last thought playing in her mind. , To be killed by your granddaughter.......... I'm sure you must be laughing at me Theseus, you fool......'
With that he was gone.
Digging through her pockets the half-Veela managed to find a single galleon, leaning forward and opening his mouth to place it inside. ,, In exchange for managing to put up one of the best fights I've had in a while, I grant you passage to the underworld...."
Taking her dagger she carefully carved the symbol of Hades onto his forehead. ,, ..... Do me a favor and bite my grandfather for acting like an idiot in his final days for me, will you? I would do it myself, but I plan to live for a great many years more..."
She hauled herself back to her feet, letting out a sigh as she turned around and made her way to Firenze, not noticing how the symbol carved onto the deceased Acromantula began glowing, accepting the offering and request.
, ......... I'll see what I can do lad.... Let's just hope that we won't meet again for a very long time.' thought the spirit, before being carried away with the wind.