Chapter 168 - Forbidden Forest Again.
[Chapter Size: 1900 Words.]
Third Person POV
Hogwarts.
...
...
Snape entered the Common Hall with narrowed eyes as he noticed the commotion at all the tables and among everyone around them. He could see the fear and despair in most of the Hogwarts students, as many were crying and their peers were trying to console them.
It was something very similar to what had happened last year when dark wizards attacked Hogsmeade...
Snape was a bit confused about it, but he could see some Aurors alongside the teachers' table. It seemed that something serious had happened.
Meanwhile, a fake Dumbledore was sitting in his chair, merely posing. He wasn't properly talking to the Aurors and didn't seem to be giving them any orders or requests. In fact, it was Professor McGonagall, along with Professor Slughorn and Flitwick, who appeared to be managing the castle in the absence of the real Dumbledore.
Snape had spent the entire day working on his potions, so he knew nothing until this moment as he began to walk, curiously observing, especially toward the Hufflepuff table, where the crying was the loudest.
"Their brother was devoured..."
"They say only a few parts were left..."
"This is terrible, how can they let those things get so close to the students?!"
"I heard a teacher say there shouldn't be those things so close to the entrance of the Forbidden Forest..."
"Why are they attacking us!?"
"The Care of Magical Creatures professor acted quickly; she managed to repel three other Acromantulas before they attacked the other students."
"The sister of the one who died hasn't even left her room; she's been sobbing for hours. She always loved her younger brother..."
"What a tragedy... isn't the Ministry going to do anything?"
Snape kept walking, listening to all the tables as they discussed what had happened. He simply moved on after that and took his seat.
"You're here... do you already know what happened?" Clarisse commented.
"Yes... I managed to hear something. Acromantulas are showing up at the forest's edge. Do you know why?" Snape asked.
"No one knows why... but the centaurs are investigating, according to what Professor Slughorn said. But no one understands why the giant spiders are acting like this..." she said.
"I see... that's really strange," Snape said thoughtfully. "Who died?" he asked.
"A fifth-year Hufflepuff boy... his sister is in the same house, but in the seventh year... they couldn't even recover the complete body..." she said, also seeming quite shaken by it.
"It was him! He made a deal with the shadow creatures! The Dark Lord is starting to act!!!" A student at the Slytherin table suddenly spoke to everyone there, while some supported him, and others remained silent. He was obviously talking about Voldemort.
"..." Snape stayed silent as Professor McGonagall stood from her chair and made everyone pay attention to her by tapping her glass with her utensil.
"I ask for your attention, all of you," she said, as everyone stopped their conversations and looked at her.
"As you know, we lost a student today in an attack in the Forest of Death, during an outdoor class..."
She began her speech, reporting who the student was, his achievements within the school, trying to convey a good memory of him, and making it clear that they were deeply sorry. She emphasized that both the school and the Ministry of Magic would be working swiftly to find out why the giant spiders were acting that way and would be dealing with the victim's family the following morning.
"...Therefore, from today onward, no one will be allowed near the Forbidden Forest. All classes that would take place there are suspended until further notice," she concluded her speech, while the students whispered among themselves, but no one disagreed.
Snape looked at the fake Dumbledore, who remained in his chair silently, even adding a few words to complement what Professor McGonagall was saying, but nothing compared to the real Dumbledore.
"Wait, didn't you say you were planning to go into the Forbidden Forest in a few days to gather new ingredients?" At the Slytherin table, Clarisse suddenly asked, looking at Snape with some concern.
And it was true. He had told her that he needed to gather more night-dame, the plant necessary to create more hair growth potions.
"Yes, but don't worry about that. A few spiders won't bother me," he said calmly.
"I'm not just talking about the spiders. There must be several members of the Ministry of Magic there, and they will surely see you. That will cause a lot of trouble," she said, trying to warn him.
"Don't worry about that."
That was the only thing he said, and so they continued with their dinner.
Shortly after, the atmosphere in the Great Hall remained heavy, except for a few Slytherin members who seemed to be celebrating the theory that the Dark Lord had already made a deal with the giant spiders to take command of them – which was not so unlikely for those familiar with that world.
Snape returned to the Room of Requirement and picked up a mirror while changing into all-black clothing, replacing his Slytherin uniform, and preparing some potions until a certain hour. When he noticed it was past midnight, he asked Dobby to take care of the cleaning as he would be out for the rest of the night and would return only the next morning.
Summoning the black Fawkes, he disappeared with the phoenix as they Apparated directly into the Forbidden Forest through her.
The environment changed quickly. He found himself in a place he hadn't visited for some time. The mist, which Snape knew well, was rising over the dark and damp forest. It had rained a little that night, but nothing that bothered him. He didn't know exactly where he was, but he knew this was the farthest limit Fawkes could take him within the forest.
He analyzed the forest for a moment, knowing that there must be patrols watching the area. Then, beneath his feet, the darkness took shape, spreading throughout the place, while his shadows – now more than a hundred – took form around him.
"I want you to search all the Acromantula nests in the forest and avoid any creatures other than the spiders. If you see them alone, follow them to the nests," he ordered as his shadows began moving in all directions, except for two.
Snape looked at one particular shadow.
"I want you to do something for me. I need you to go to a specific place here and fight something," he requested, after all, he needed to get rid of the patrols that were roaming the forest. And he had a way to make them move away.
With its departure, Snape turned to the last one.
"You're too big, so it's better you stay with me. You'll attract too much attention," Snape said to the dungeon golem that had stepped forward. Fawkes also remained with him, flying above the trees so that, if needed, he could summon her quickly.
The shadows continued for an hour, moving through the entire forest, traveling across the ground undetected. After all, they blended seamlessly with the dense darkness of the place.
Snape stood still while waiting for his shadows to return until, suddenly, there was a change in the forest's dark atmosphere.
"ROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAARRRRRR!!!"
A massive roar exploded from a point far from him. Snape looked in the direction of the sound with satisfaction – he needed to provoke Juggernaut.
The roar immediately left all those patrolling the forest stunned, swallowing hard at the threatening sound.
"That was... Juggernaut?!" a centaur murmured in fear.
"He is angry about something. He... someone is invading his territory... I wonder who would be so bold and why such madness?" another commented beside him.
"It's better we go and warn the others. We need to prepare for the worst... Perhaps it's not just the spiders we should be worried about right now," the first one said, and both of them left.
Even some of the wizards sent by the Ministry frowned. Some didn't know what that sound meant, but those who did immediately wanted to get out of there.
Quickly, that side of the forest began to empty as everyone fled due to the roar of that threatening creature.
Beside Snape, a shattered shadow quickly formed, assuming the silhouette of Igris, his knight, who stared at him in silence but seemed embarrassed, even without speaking.
"You didn't even stand a chance against him, did you?" Snape asked. After all, Juggernaut was certainly on another level. Perhaps Igris had made him roar after inflicting a wound, but even so, he had fallen in the end. And when a shadow died, it returned to Snape, requiring him to spend mana to recover it again.
Snape said nothing more and waited a little longer for the forest to empty further. It took about ten more minutes when the first shadows began to appear, kneeling before Snape. Even Ouroboros reappeared with a dead giant spider in its mouth, spitting it out in front of Snape like a gift, while it began wagging its tail like a dog expecting praise from its master.
"..." Snape raised an eyebrow at her and then turned his attention back to the kneeling shadow soldiers.
"Take me to the nest you found," he requested, while giving a command to the giant snake.
Ouroboros sank back into the ground, transforming into a shadow. Shortly after, it emerged beneath Snape, lifting him onto its head. It resumed its physical form and slid through the forest, carrying Snape as he balanced on it easily, even while standing.
The shadows soon joined his own as he advanced toward the location. That was when they found the nest the knights had reported. Unlike the one Snape had previously destroyed, which resembled a cocoon, this was a deep and irregular hole, formed like a crater in a corner of the forest, but filled with webs and everything the spiders had dragged there.
Clearly, this was not the only one around, but he chose this as his target for the night. There was one thing he wanted to do before dealing with it. Snape gave the environment a long look until he noticed what he was really after – several night-dames.
"Harvest everything," he ordered the shadows around him, instructing them to start gathering all the rare plants in the area.
The shadows scattered through the forest began to gather there with Snape giving commands, and they always knew where Snape was, so it was easy.
The spiders noticed the movement and curiously watched from the nest's entrances. Snape, however, remained silent atop Ouroboros.
He observed his soldiers swiftly harvesting the plants, making the work much faster and easier. It didn't take long for them to gather everything from that corner – more than two hundred night-dames.
Snape was satisfied with that, knowing he would use those plants later. However, now he needed to deal with the nest. After all, if those spiders were attacking students, they had to be exterminated.
Snape finally stepped down from Ouroboros's head, landing softly on the ground as he looked at all his shadows, who were awaiting their king's command.
With a small tilt of his head, Snape raised his wand and turned toward the nest.
"Go... Attack. Exterminate every last one of them," he ordered.
The shadows quickly began to move, launching the attack upon their king's command.
-------------Nexts Chapters ----------------
Chapter 173 - The dungeons are everywhere.
Chapter 178 - Dealing with the Norton family.
Chapter 188 - The Battle in the Muggle World 01.
Chapter 197 - Mission: Demonic Tower of One Hundred Floors
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