Dormitory Welcomes New Students

Early in the morning, Avery, Alex, Hermes huddled together around Regulus's desk, their heads pressed close together as they peered down at the surface.

A spider the size of a palm was lying on the table.

It was furry, with eight short little legs that scurried back and forth on the table, wandering around under the three big faces that were crowding around it. It didn't try to run away, but just looked around here and there, quite at ease.

It crawled to Avery's side, raised its front leg and touched his knuckles, then turned to Alex, tilted its head and looked at him for a while, its chelicerae opening and closing with a click.

Then it moved to Hermes' side. Hermes didn't reach out; it stopped right under his face, its chelipeds opening and closing twice, as if to greet him.

Avery stared at it for a while, pursed his lips, clicked his tongue, and turned to look at Regulus, his face full of disbelief.

"This little thing can kill us?"

Regulus ignored him.

He made a point of getting up early this morning to cast a Transfiguration spell on Baruk, otherwise he would have recovered by now.

Acromantula, level XXXXX, carnivorous, dangerous.

It looks harmless now, no bigger than a palm, but that's thanks to the Transfiguration spell, not its own nature.

A normal-sized Acromantula, let alone Avery, wouldn't be able to handle the whole Dormitory.

He watched Avery turn back to the table, and the backs of Hermes and Alex.

Hermes ' Dark Arts might harm Baruk, but Baruk has eight legs, pincers, venom, and spider silk.

If a real fight broke out in such a confined space, Hermes would probably be caught and eaten, but the flesh might turn sour from the struggle.

As for Avery and Alex, needless to say.

Of course, that won't happen.

He had told Baruk not to bite or inject venom; a pinch from his chelicerae or a entanglement in his web wouldn't matter, given his size, it wouldn't cause any serious harm.

Avery and the others have already said something similar to what they told Hermes: these are small animals that can only kill you, so behave yourselves.

Even if they don't believe it, they'll just tease them a little and won't go too far.

After all, no matter how you look at it, this is Regulus's... pet?

Anyway, I've explained things to both sides, and we're getting along harmoniously, so there's nothing wrong.

Alex turned around, his tone hesitant, and whispered, "Acromantula?"

Regulus raised an eyebrow and nodded.

Alex gasped and took a step back, distancing himself from the desk.

He was guessing, but he was right every time.

A spider capable of killing a young wizard must be Magical Creature; and if it looks like that, it can only be Acromantula.

He didn't know why Regulus put such a thing in the Dormitory, and he didn't intend to ask any further questions.

Regulus was a man of action; sometimes he wouldn't answer even if you asked, and it was actually easier not to ask.

But he couldn't help wondering, what strange hobby has Regulus finally awakened?

It's not that there's no precedent for this.

It's true that quite a few young wizards at Hogwarts like to keep strange pets, such as toads, snakes, and various small lizards, which is all within the normal range.

Some people Bowtruckle, some keep Salamander, some keep Puffskein, and I heard that some upperclassmen secretly kept a Niffler in their Dormitory, but it was later discovered by the professor and sent away.

Those things steal things; the school doesn't allow us to keep them.

But the Acromantula classified as a Level XXXXX, and the school doesn't allow keeping it as a pet!

After the Ministry of Magic enacted the Ban on Experimental Breeding in 1965, breeding and trading of animals became strictly prohibited.

But that's about breeding and trading; it doesn't say you can't raise a ready-made one.

The question is, who would keep Acromantula as a pet?

Regulus could certainly get one if he wanted to; the Black family could get anything. But why Acromantula?

What could Regulus do if he insisted on keeping it in his Dormitory?

You can't beat them in a fight, and you can't win an argument with them.

He glanced at the spider again; its eight legs were still stomping around on the table.

"What are you thinking about?" Avery asked Alex in a lazy tone, with a hint of mockery.

How big is the Acromantula? Where in the UK can you find it?

Those things are all in Southeast Asia, on the Kalimantan, used to Protection wizards' homes and treasures. Haven't you seen "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them"?

He had just finished speaking when he turned around and saw Regulus nod.

Avery paused for a moment, gasped, took two steps back, and stood next to Alex.

The two stood side by side, looked at each other, and said nothing.

There was a moment of silence.

Avery took a half step forward, his brow still furrowed, his mouth still pursed, and his neck shrank back.

Then his expression changed; his eyes narrowed slightly, then widened, shining brightly as he stared intently at Regulus.

"The Acromantula," he raised his voice, barely containing his excitement, "Isn't that what it's all about— Protection the wizard's dwelling?"

He glanced back at the spider on the table, then back at Regulus, his mouth stretching into a wide, ever-widening grin.

He wanted one too.

That's so cool.

These things were still available on the market before 1965, but they are now basically extinct. Regulus somehow got hold of one, and it's this small.

This is truly the young master of the Black family; his hobbies are just different.

The young master of the Cuthbert family couldn't be any less impressive.

He was already thinking about where to put it, what to feed it, and what to name it if he got one himself.

He even wondered what tone he should use when someone asked him what the Acromantula was.

Regulus glanced at him, too lazy to bother with him, and pretended not to see him.

Avery didn't seem to care and turned back to his desk.

He had nothing to worry about. If Regulus put the Acromantula in the Dormitory, he certainly didn't intend to kill them.

And look at this little thing, all fluffy, its eight legs moving about quite busily, it even has a rather handsome appearance.

He reached out a finger to poke Baruk's carapace, and Baruk's chelicerae opened slightly. He quickly withdrew his finger and laughed.

Alex didn't think so. He stood there for a while, hesitating to speak, but couldn't stop.

He walked over to Regulus: "Regulus, are you alright?"

Regulus knew what he was worried about.

He glanced over there; Avery and Hermes were huddled around the desk, one studying a spider, the other poking at it.

Each one of them was more fearless than the last.

Alex's reaction was exactly what a normal young wizard should have; knowing what it was, he should have been afraid.

Unlike those two.

He turned back, looked at Alex, and nodded. "This one is well-behaved, good to teach, don't worry."

Alex, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped himself.

He certainly knew the Acromantula was intelligent, but wasn't it precisely because it was intelligent that it was even more dangerous?

A smart, thoughtful Acromantula that can judge when to bite and when not to bite. It waits, chooses the right moment, and strikes when its prey is least paying attention.

Is there anything more terrifying than this?

He was completely devastated.

Avery suddenly exclaimed, "Ha--!"

He raised his hand, his entire wrist wrapped in white spider silk, which had bound his fingers together. He kept waving it outwards, laughing as he did so, finding it quite amusing.

Regulus ignored him and got up to walk over.

Baruk was lying in the middle of the table, his eight eyes looking up at him, his chelicerae stopped moving.

"This is Baruk," he said to Avery and the others, then bowed to Baruk: "This is Avery, Alex, Hermes."

Avery was taken aback. This little thing even had a name?

He bent down, leaned closer, and waved to the spider. "Baruk."

Baruk cackled, waved its pincers as a greeting, and then turned halfway around in Alex's direction.

Alex instinctively took a half-step back, but held on, slowly leaning forward and saying in a very soft voice, "... Hello."

Baruk clicked again.

Hermes stood nearby.

He overheard Avery and Alex's conversation, and he knew what the Acromantula was.

But right now, only one thing was on his mind: how could he kill someone of that size?

I'd like to give it a try.

He believed Regulus, but he couldn't help wanting to know more.

How could a spider the size of a palm possibly kill a wizard?

venom?

It has to bite first.

Spider silk?

What good will it do if we get entangled?

Baruk also smacked Hermes, then sprang up and jumped onto Regulus's shoulder, in the same spot.

It gripped the cloth with its eight legs, moved around a bit, then settled down, its chelicerae opening and closing, making a clicking sound, and circled Regulus's ear twice.

"Reg... Les?"

This spider was clever; it remembered Avery and Alex's calls after hearing them make them a few times.

Regulus nodded. "Regulus, Regulus Black."

Baruk jumped, its chelicerae opening and closing several times in quick succession, making a series of "clack-clack-clack" sounds, which sounded somewhat excited.

Baruk.

"Yes," Regulus reached out, touched its carapace, then picked it up and put it back in the drawer. "Stay here, don't wander off."

Baruk turned the drawer around, his claws opening and closing with a click.

Regulus said, "I'll be back at noon with some food."

There was a moment of silence in the drawer, then Baruk raised his front legs and gestured in the air.

"You can... hunt..."

Regulus shook his head. "What do you want to hunt, little wizard?"

He said, "No, wait for me."

A rustling, spinning sound came from the drawer, then finally stopped, as if to say "yes."

Intelligent beings can understand rules, but they still occasionally need to test the boundaries, and he understands that.

Regulus closed the drawer halfway, leaving a crack.

They should be easier to raise now that they've shrunk.

He didn't know how to feed the Acromantula of normal size at Hogwarts.

How much does it eat in one meal? Deer? Goat?

He can't exactly go into the Forbidden Forest to hunt for it.

Let Baruk try some cooked food at noon to see if he likes it. If he does, then it's simple; the canteen has everything.

He turned and beckoned Avery and the others to go eat.

Avery was restless throughout breakfast.

He started asking questions as soon as he sat down, his voice low but full of energy.

"Where did you get it done? How was it done? How much did it cost? Is it easy to do?"

Regulus ignored him and focused on eating.

Alex, standing next to Avery, nudged him with his elbow and said in a lower voice, "Keep your voice down. Keeping this in the Dormitory is against the rules. What are you yelling about?"

"What did I yell about?" Avery glanced around; everyone was eating their own food, no one was looking at him. He lowered his voice even further.

"I just want to raise one, so what? Regulus can get one, but I can't?"

Alex, seeing his excitement, looked at him with worry. "Where are you going to put it?"

"The Dormitory."

There's already one in the Dormitory.

"So what? Two are fine too."

"Avery," Alex looked at him seriously, "Do you think it's appropriate to put two Acromantula in one Dormitory?"

Avery forked a piece of sausage, put it in his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and asked vaguely, "Regulus, do you think this is appropriate?"

Regulus took a sip of Pumpkin Juice from his cup, but still ignored him.

"See," Avery said, gesturing to Alex with this as evidence, "He didn't say no."

Alex sighed. "He didn't say anything."

Avery declared confidently, "If it doesn't say no, then it does!"

Alex took a deep breath, lowered his head to take a sip of soup, and changed direction.

Do you know how two dogs would get along if you kept them together?

Avery thought for a moment, but couldn't figure it out.

"Acromantula are territorial," Alex whispered. "If you put two together, they'll fight."

"Then I'll keep a female?" Avery suddenly had an idea, then asked Regulus, "Is your male female?"

Regulus remained silent.

Avery muttered something, forked a piece of potato, and decided to put it aside for now and think about it later.

Hermes sat opposite, eating the whole time. He had trained too hard yesterday and didn't feel it right after finishing, but he was starving after a nap.

Bread, bacon, fried eggs, roasted potatoes—plate after plate. The way they ate wasn't unsightly, but the speed was astonishing.