Operation: Infiltrating the Slytherin Common Room

The Hollow served as the nest of the Acromantula was in a mess, with only the painful groans of some spiders and the howling of the cold wind mixed with ice and snow.

Most of the spiders were rendered incapable of fighting, and the remaining spiders, intimidated by Loren's power, cowered and dared not approach.

"Damn it, they actually want to eat us!" Ron gritted his teeth as he looked at the mangled, missing limbs of the Acromantula, and suddenly the spider didn't seem so scary anymore.

The Acromantula standing beside Aragog huddled together, trembling incessantly. Although it couldn't see, Aragog seemed to hear the scene before it amidst the groans, its white opacity clouding its eyes, and it emitted a mournful hiss.

A flicker of reluctance crossed Hermione's eyes, but she quickly hardened her resolve. If Loren hadn't been powerful enough, they wouldn't just be missing limbs; they would be nothing more than corpses.

The Forbidden Forest isn't home to only one race of Acromantula, but neither the Unicorn nor the Centaur races would intentionally harm the young wizard. The Acromantula disregarded Hagrid's kindness; this was their just deserts.

The intense heat of the explosion melted the snow in the Hollow, and the hardened soil absorbed the moisture, becoming muddy and sticky. Harry clumsily trudged through the mud to the old, near-death Acromantula.

The Acromantula that had been relaying messages to Aragog trembled and stepped back, making way for Aragog.

After pondering for a few minutes, Harry still couldn't understand. "Don't you want to save Hagrid?"

Aragog, as large as a baby elephant, gasped for breath, his terrifying appearance somehow revealing a hint of sorrow. "Hagrid, Hagrid..."

It didn't answer Harry's question, but fell into deep reminiscence. "I come from a faraway land. Before I hatched from my egg, a traveler gave me to Hagrid. Hagrid was just a child then, and he took care of me, hiding me in a cupboard in the Castle and feeding me the crumbs that spilled on the table. He treated me as a friend; he was a good man. Later, when people found me and demanded I take responsibility for a girl's death, he protected me, even though he himself was in danger. He helped me settle in the woods, visited me often, and even found me a wife— Mosag. You see how prosperous our people are, all thanks to Hagrid's help."

Harry was even angrier. He growled in a low voice, "Then why didn't you give us any clues to rescue Hagrid?"

"The Basilisk is the natural enemy of the Acromantula. If you human wizards drive the Basilisk into the Forbidden Forest as you did to me, my race will perish."

Large tears welled up from Aragog's eight eyes and flowed into the spider's carapace. It was unclear whether he was weeping for his friendship with Hagrid or for the tragic state of his people.

"I'm so old and I don't know how many more winters I can survive. If Hagrid dies with me, I don't think it's a bad thing."

Harry yelled, "Hagrid isn't old! He can live for many more winters!"

He felt a tightness in his chest, wishing he could burn all those Acromantula to ashes.

Aragog did not refute; it breathed weakly, confirming its words. It was old, and it didn't know how many more winters it would live.

They were speaking quite loudly, and Loren and the others could hear them from the other side of the Hollow. The three of them cast Levitation Charm, avoiding the mud on the ground, and floated leisurely to Aragog's side.

Hermione scrutinized Aragog, Hagrid's friend, the Acromantula. After a long silence, Hermione said in a low voice, "I think Hagrid must have told you not to harm any human. You don't deserve to be Hagrid's friend; you have none of his fine qualities."

Aragog lay limply on the muddy ground, speechless, only his weak breathing proving he was still alive.

Ron gave it a light kick. "Stop playing dead, tell us what's going on, Hagrid's waiting to come back for Christmas!"

Aragog did not react at all.

Harry and Ron were seething with hatred, but no matter how much they kicked Aragog, he remained silent.

Hermione's face tightened, and she angrily kicked him twice.

The carapace of the arthropods was kicked with a loud "thump," and Aragog groaned twice, feeling as if its brains were about to be smashed to pieces. It didn't know how many more winters it could live through with normal aging, but if this little Witch kept kicking it, it certainly wouldn't survive the day.

Unable to bear it any longer, it weakly uttered, "I won't say it. For the sake of the continuation of the race, I hope the Basilisk will stay in the Castle."

"How could Hagrid have raised such a thing as you? Even Norbert is better than you!" Harry cursed angrily.

Snowflakes continued to fall, and the freshly melted snow showed signs of refreezing. Loren shivered and crouched down so that Aragog could hear him more clearly:

"Basilisk are far more dangerous than you Acromantula. The Unicorn and Centaur colonies won't allow Basilisk into the Forbidden Forest, Dumbledore won't leave any safety hazards for the young wizards. Think about what that means yourself. Besides, if you don't tell me, the Acromantula colony will be wiped out today." Loren waved his wand, snapping a massive tree that would take three people to encircle in half.

The tree trunk fell onto the snow with a dull thud.

The sound, like a thunderclap, exploded in Aragog's mind, making it tremble all over.

Aragog was also shedding tears... Weren't these supposed to be Hagrid's friends? Shouldn't they be kind and brave Gryffindor?

First, the little Witch used her fists and feet to interrogate it, beating it so badly it almost vomited bile.

Then there's this wizard who threatened to wipe out his clan if he didn't reveal the clues. Where is their kindness? Where are they like Hagrid's friends? Where are they like Gryffindor?

Loren tapped Aragog's shell lightly with his wand, each sound of solid wood striking the carapace sending shivers down the spine of the Acromantula.

"Pipes! The Basilisk moves through pipes!" Aragog shouted, squeezing out some strength from his battered body. "Although I've been staying in the basement, I've sensed its presence a few times when Basilisk passed by."

Harry's face lit up with joy, and he suddenly realized. "No wonder I heard the Basilisk's voice several times but couldn't find it. It was hiding in the pipes in the wall!"

Loren continued tapping his wand, "Any other clues?"

"No, that's all," Aragog pleaded. "I've given you the clues, just spare my people!"

Loren hesitated. To be honest, he didn't really want to let these Acromantula go. He had little tolerance for cannibals, and he remembered that the Acromantula had even helped Voldemort in the end, but Aragog had been so cooperative, and it wouldn't be good to go back on his word.

"Let them go."

Accompanied by the clatter of hooves, two Centaur emerged from the woods: Firenze with silver mane and Ronan with red mane.

"Firenze! Ronan!" Harry exclaimed in surprise. They had met last year in the Forbidden Forest when the Centaur rescued him from Quirrell.

Fang followed the two Centaur, wagging its tail, and quickly rushed up to Loren, leaving muddy marks on his robes. It barked incessantly.

Loren realized that this was the reinforcements it had gone to fetch, and they were now seeking praise and recognition.

Firenze leaped over to the group in a few bounds, his eyes twitching as he surveyed them and the horrific scene around him. His feelings were complex.

After the loud explosion, they rushed over and witnessed the scene of several people interrogating someone.

To be honest, magic is incredibly powerful, especially for a young wizard of this age to unleash such a powerful spell; Hogwarts ' magical education is excellent. However, it seems there's something wrong with Hogwarts ' moral education: physical abuse, torture, threats of extermination...

Even Durmstrang, known for his Dark Arts, wouldn't be this outrageous...

Ronan wandered among the giant Acromantula for a while before coming over and saying inscrutably, "Jupiter's revelation is that proper dormancy is more conducive to the prosperity of the race."

Ron whispered to his friend, "What does that mean?"

"These spiders are multiplying unchecked, and they have already encroached on the living space of many other animals. In a few years, other animals will unite to completely exterminate these spiders. With your intervention, they will relinquish some territory and continue to exist for several more decades," Firenze explained.

"Why didn't you just get to the rest? Why did you have to bring up astrology?" Ron muttered to Harry.

Nobody paid any attention to his complaints.

Hermione remembered Dumbledore's words and asked with sparkling eyes, "Did Dumbledore communicate with you beforehand?"

Firenze nodded. "Dumbledore left a letter for our elders, saying that you might need help. We ran into Fang when we arrived."

Ronan asked hesitantly, "What happened in the Castle? Why did Dumbledore send you ponies to the Forbidden Forest?"

Harry, knowing that the Centaur and Hagrid had a good relationship, told them the whole story of how Hagrid had been wrongly arrested.

"I told you before that Mars foreshadows conflict..." Firenze's hooves pounded restlessly on the ground.

Ron pursed his lips and muttered, "Jupiter's revelation, Mars's prophecy... what's going on with the other stars? Did the stars say how to rescue Hagrid?"

Harry tugged at his sleeve, telling him to stop talking.

"Yes," Firenze replied earnestly upon hearing this. "The sun's trajectory has deviated, and the world will undergo unprecedented changes."

Loren was sensitive to words like "sun," and he immediately asked, "What change?"

Firenze shrugged. "I don't know."

The four young wizards simultaneously pursed their lips, seemingly wondering what they were talking about.

Loren looked around and put away his wand. "Let's go back to school and investigate the Basilisk. If we act quickly, we might be able to get Hagrid back for Christmas."

With about a week until Christmas, he should be more proactive so that he can hand in his mission to Dumbledore and have a good Christmas.

The Centaur escorted them all the way to the Edge of the Forbidden Forest.

Firenze stopped and gazed into the distance toward the Castle: "You'll have to walk the rest of the way yourselves, little ponies."

Ronan circled Harry and Ron a few times, looking at them with a serious expression. "That tin box is your pet, isn't it? Take it back as soon as possible. It's rampaging through the Forbidden Forest, never resting at night, and always howling. The animals are fed up with it."

"Flying Car!" Ron exclaimed in surprise, so excited he was almost incoherent. "It's not completely wrecked... Oh, that's great..."

"Don't worry, we'll definitely take the Flying Car with us after we've dealt with the Castle." Harry blushed a little; driving the Flying Car and crashing into the Whomping Willow wasn't exactly a smart thing to do.

"Remember the revelations of the stars!"

Before leaving, Loren entrusted Fang to the Centaur and told them that Hagrid would come directly to them and bring Fang back when he returned.

Gryffindor Common Room.

Loren, Hermione, Harry, and Ron sat around the fireplace, the rising flames dispelling the chill they had brought from the forest.

"It is known that after the Basilisk emerged from the Chamber of Secrets, it roamed the Castle through the pipes. The location of the Chamber of Secrets is currently unknown."

Hermione took out an empty candy box to represent the Chamber of Secrets, a Licorice Wands to represent the Basilisk, and placed two Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans in front of the Chamber of Secrets. "We have two suspects now, one is Malfoy, and the other is Crabbe. It's also possible that neither of them is the one, and the Heir is hidden deeper than we think."

"In any case, we need to get into the Slytherin Common Room and get some information out of them, preferably to find out who the heir is, or to find out the location of the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets," Hermione analyzed methodically.

"The Polyjuice Potion can be finished before dinner. Everyone else in the Castle has left, which makes it easier for us to move around. In addition, we need some things from the people we want to become."

She glanced at Harry and Ron, her tone casual, as if she were dismissing them to go to the supermarket to buy laundry detergent, "If you can get your hands on anything from Crabbe and Goyle, that would be ideal. They're Malfoy's best friends, which would make it easy for us to extract information from them. We also need to make sure that the real Crabbe and Goyle don't barge in while we're interrogating Malfoy."

After giving Harry and Ron their instructions, she turned her gaze to Loren.

Loren took two large vials of Hellebore potion from his pocket. He had stockpiled plenty to help the Basilisk test his eyesight, and Snape certainly had enough. These two vials were concocted by several upperclassmen members of the Potions Club; they were of excellent quality and had no unknown side effects.

"According to Hermione's plan, we need to find a way to put the Hellebore potion into Crabbe and Goyle's food, and after they're unconscious, pluck a few strands of their hair. Then stuff them into the Broom Cupboard."

"Oh, okay, okay." Harry went over the plan again. "But Hermione, Loren, what about you two? Whose hair are you going to pull?"

Loren shook his head. "I won't become anyone. I'll stay invisible and follow you around to provide support and prevent any accidents."

He knew perfectly well that he wouldn't get any information out of Malfoy. But the clues were pretty clear now: the sewers, the bathroom, the scene of Moaning Myrtle's first murder... Once Harry and Ron returned, he could guide them a little and they would be able to pinpoint the location of the Chamber of Secrets.

Why insist on using Polyjuice Potion? Of course, it's to see the Catgirl!

"I already have one!" Hermione said happily, pulling a small bottle from her pocket and showing a strand of hair inside. "Remember the Duel Club event? Millicent wrestled with me, and I took it off her collar. She went home for Christmas, and all I had to do was tell Malfoy I decided to come back."

"Pfft!" Loren couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Hermione looked at Loren suspiciously. "What are you laughing at?"

"I remembered something happy..."

After dinner, in Myrtle's Bathroom.

Loren and Hermione squeezed into a small single room. Hermione kept stirring the cauldron, from which thick black smoke billowed.

In the past, they would always work on the flat ground outside, hiding the crucible in the small cubicle at night and taking it out again the next day. But now, with the Polyjuice Potion almost ready, Hermione was eager and didn't want to move it around. So the two of them squeezed into the cubicle to stir the crucible.

Harry and Ron ran in from outside the bathroom and knocked gently on the door. "Loren, Hermione."

Loren and Hermione came out carrying three cups of soup, the thick, syrupy soup still bubbling in the flat-bottomed glasses.

"Did you get it?" Hermione asked.

Harry showed her that he was holding a few strands of hair in one hand and the laces of two large shoes in the other, with Goyle's oversized robe tucked under his arm.

But his tone was not light. "Only Goyle's; Crabbe is nowhere to be found."

Ron was a little uneasy about this unexpected turn of events. "Crabbe hasn't shown up at all during dinner, and we can't find him."

Loren frowned, contemplating halting tonight's operation.

Hermione pursed her lips. "Harry and I will take Polyjuice Potion. Loren, you and Ron will become invisible and stay with us. The effects of Polyjuice Potion will last for an hour."

Before Loren could think further, Hermione had already added Millicent's hair to the Polyjuice Potion in her hand. The glass sizzled and bubbled like a carbonated drink. After a few seconds, the reaction stopped, and the potion turned an unsightly yellow.

Hermione downed the Polyjuice Potion in one gulp, and Harry followed suit, drinking the same Polyjuice Potion. The two then found a cubicle to change their clothes.

Ron glanced at the two cups of leftover soup with disgust and clicked his tongue. "Oh— Millicent Bulstrode's essence, Gregory Goyle's essence, I bet they taste terrible."

The Transfiguration brought a sharp, sudden pain, and cries of pain came from the two people inside the cubicle, but it was completed quickly.

Harry unlocked the door, stepped out of the cubicle in Goyle's guise, and said in a deep, husky voice, "How was it?"

Ron circled him several times, then jumped up and patted him on the shoulder. "Oh! It's exactly the same. Unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable..."

The two of them were joking around on the side.

Loren had been waiting outside Hermione's cubicle for a while. After estimating the time, he knocked on the door and tried to call out in a calm tone, "Hermione, how are you? Are you alright?"

A shrill voice, trembling with tears, replied, "I—I really don't want to come out. You can go by yourselves."

Harry and Ron, hearing this, quickly came over. "Hermione, we know Millicent is ugly, no one would know it's you."

"No—really no—I don't think I can go. You guys hurry up and don't waste time."

Harry looked at Ron, completely bewildered.

Ron chuckled, "Your expression is just like Goyle's. He always makes that face whenever the teacher asks him a question."

"Stop fooling around." Loren called to the two of them. "Hermione's Transfiguration seems to have malfunctioned. I need to take her to the Hospital Wing. Have Ron follow you in his Invisibility Cloak. You two go ahead and do your thing."

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, and considering Hermione's reaction, it seemed to be true. Harry quickly checked himself, touching his hands and feet, then his face and features, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that nothing was missing.

"We'll come to the Hospital Wing to find you after this is all over," Harry said, and Ron nodded in agreement.

Before leaving, Loren called them back and, after thinking for a moment, reminded them, "Safety comes first. If things go wrong and you make a big commotion, the professors will notice."

Based on his assessment of his previous duel with Crabbe, Crabbe's strength was probably inferior to Harry's, and even to Ron's. But when it came to Voldemort, caution and prudence were always wise.

The safest approach would actually be to cancel the operation altogether, but as Dumbledore said, Harry has the right to face Voldemort, and he should face Voldemort...