Born From Madness (Harry Potter Fanfic)

63

The three of them travelled throughout the forest, Fang trailing behind them as he whimpered and whined. They were following the trail till they were spooked by something that was close by. Only it turned out to be the flying car they had lost the first day they had arrived there. Due to this scare, they had lost the trail. They turned in different directions in search of the spiders. However, Hermione's focus shifted when she found Harry and Ron behind dragged up into the trees. She gasped when she saw huge spiders the size of small jaws dragging them upside down towards the top of trees. 

"Hermione help!" Ron pleaded with her. Hermione's eyes swarmed around to find spiders are now swarming the entire place and surrounded her. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth. 

"Stop!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. The spider came to a halt like she had used a powerful freezing charm on them before turning their attention on her. She felt like she was now exposed in front of them before she forced herself to keep her head.  

"Put them down-- now." She ordered them, "we are here to find answers about our friend Hagrid. We need to know who is responsible behind the attacks." 

There was no movements till one spider crawled its way in front of Hermione as it looked her right in the eye. 

"Aragog will know what you seek." it spoke to her. 

"Then take us to him." she ordered. The spiders soon began to lower Harry and Ron to the ground beforea crawling in Hermione's direction then past her. She motioned for Harry and Ron to follow quickly as she ran out till she came to a vast hollow that had been cleared of trees and stars were the only light that lit up the entire web-covered clearing to show her she was surrounded by tons of spiders. From tiny baby ones to spiders the size of carthorses. 

"Aragog! Aragog!" the spider that Hermione spoke to called out. Harry and Ron rushed to her side, taking in deep breath. From the middle of a misty, domed web, a gray-black spider the size of a small elephant came crawling out. 

"What is it?" he asked, his pincers clicking. 

"Two men, and a woman... the granddaughter of her," the spider told Aragog. Aragog seemed to freeze as he took a deep breath. 

"Her? As in Rose's Granddaughter? The one who defended Hagrid's honor even with those lying vipers that stood against him?" Aragog spoke. 

"I'm Hermione Granger... and yes, Rose is my Great Grandmother. And I know you are the creature Hagrid had while he was at Hogwarts and I know you know Rose didn't think either of you were behind the attacks of the Muggle-borns." Hermione assured him. 

"Yes! She knew I was not born in the castle, and that I came from a distant land in the pockets of a traveler, who gave me to Hagrid when I was an egg. He was only a boy but he cared for me. Kept me hidden in the cupboard in the castle, feeding me scraps from the table. Hagrid is a good friend and a good man. When I was discovered and blamed for the death of a girl, he protected me... along with Rose. 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..." 

"Do you know then who was responsible? Because he or she has made the basilisk go after more Muggle-borns this time." Hermione asked him. The spiders 

"I do not. All I know-- is 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... that thing... we spiders fear above all others... and whoever it is that summons such a creature... is the same one who tried to drive Rose out... but he couldn't... no mortal human could drive her or any of her kin or ancestors away..." 

"Why is that?" 

"Because of the Ancient one... the only one who spoke kindly to us creatures and looked out for our benefits which unsettled the Wizarding World along with the Muggles. All creatures remember of her kindness and so we bow to no one but her... even the creatures of the Darkness respect her..." Aragog claimed as his children began clicking their pincers, "And that is why, Hermione Granger, I do this kindness for you... go forth with your friends, end the suffering of the Muggle-borns and all those in Hogwarts, for it is only you that can stop the creature that lurks within the walls of Hogwarts. Go... Go now..." 

Hermione, Harry and Ron didn't waste a moment before running back the way they had came. She couldn't help but glance back and shouted a quick 'thank you' before hurrying towards Hogwarts. 

"What the bloody hell was the point of going in there?" Ron asked as they were making their way towards Hogwarts. 

"It's simple! We learn Hagrid isn't the one who opened the Chamber. He's innocent. Which means Rose was right! It was Riddle who did it! And he blamed Hagrid all because he's a Half-Giant." Harry explained, finally on board with Hermione. 

"And that's not all we've learn. Remember what Aragog said? The girl who died was found in the bathroom? It's Moaning Mrytle! It has to be!" Hermione explained. 

"All those times we were in that bathroom and she was just three toilets away? We could have asked her." Ron mumbled. 

"Well we didn't know it, but now we do. And we can ask her now..." Hermione admitted to them. They were rounding the corner when suddenly they noticed something off. It was Ginny, standing near the window and gazing out of it. She looked nervous and almost sick-like. Slowly the three of them moved. 

"Ginny?" Hermione called out. Ginny turned to look at them. 

"I've got to tell you something." Ginny mumbled. 

"What is it?" Harry asked with concern. Ginny looked like she didn't know how to say it but she needed to say it at the same time and Ron wasn't making it any better for her with his endless questions. 

"What? Is it something about the Chamber of Secrets? Have you seen something? Someone acting odd?" 

Ginny attempted to speak when suddenly coming around the corner came Percy. His eyes landed directly at them and he looked upset to finding them there. 

"What are you four doing out here? You four should be in Gryffindor Tower." Percy shot at them. Ginny didn't waste a moment as she scurried down the hall. 

"Percy! She was just about to tell us something important!" Ron shouted at him. Percy narrowed his eyes. 

"What?" 

"I just asked if she seen anything odd..."

"Oh-- that's nothing to do with the Chamber of Secrets," Percy said at once. 

"How do you know?" 

"Because if you must know, Ginny walked in on me the other day--- the point is she spotted me doing something and I asked her not to mention it to anybody." Percy shot at them. Before anyone could ask, he shot them a glare. 

"Now make your way back to the common room before I take off points!" Percy threatened them and stormed in the same direction Ginny had went off to.