Taking the Spider for a Walk

When Agnes brought food yesterday, all the branches of this Whomping Willow were drooping, the bark was cracked, and it looked almost dead. Now, although the branches are still drooping, at least they are no longer lifeless, and a few are swaying slightly.

The color of the tree trunk had darkened, and the edges of the scars had become damp. Tender green buds had sprouted from the tips of several side branches, glistening in the sunlight.

She sighed and then looked at Regulus.

He stood beside the Whomping Willow tree that was known for its beating effect, his palms pressed against the trunk, his eyes closed. A spider the size of a palm lay on his shoulder, its eight legs stretched out, motionless.

Whomping Willow, did not attack him.

Agnes thought for a moment, then raised her wand and cast an Shield Charm on herself before cautiously stepping inside.

"Mr. Black"

Regulus opened his eyes and looked over. "Ms. Agnes."

She placed the food box on the ground, the teapot floated to the side and landed, and said with a smile, "Happy New Year."

He smiled slightly and nodded, saying, "Happy New Year."

"I brought you Yorkshire Pudding and roast beef," she said, crouching down to open the food box. "And the last piece of Christmas pudding, with brandy Butter sauce."

Steam rose from the food container, carrying the aroma of Yorkshire Pudding batter and roast beef fat, especially clear in the cool air. "This is for Little Spider."

She pulled a paper package from her apron pocket, opened it, and inside was a palm-sized piece of Raw Venison, still bloody, neatly sliced. Baruk lifted his head from Regulus's shoulder, his eight eyes fixed on the piece of venison, his claws opening and closing slightly.

Then it turned back to look at Regulus, its pincers clicking softly, and Regulus nodded slightly.

Baruk sprang off his shoulder, landing on his eight legs in front of the Stone Basin. Instead of eating, he looked up at Agnes, his pincers opening and closing with a short, sharp click.

Baruk

Agnes bent down and looked at the palm-sized spider.

She probably recognized its species long ago; it's not surprising that a witch who had spent her whole life dealing with nature would recognize the Acromantula.

But she had never asked many questions before, and now she simply gave a gentle smile, her wrinkles deepening at the corners of her eyes. "Mr. Baruk, Happy New Year." Baruk's pincers opened and closed even faster, clicking loudly.

It probably didn't know what "sir" meant, but it had heard her call Regulus, which was preceded by "sir," and that pleased it.

Its chelipeds opened and closed rapidly three or four times, making a series of rapid clicking sounds. Then it lowered its head and began to eat the venison, its two front legs resting on the edge of the Stone Basin, while its six hind legs were tucked in, eating quite elegantly.

Regulus glanced at it, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

"This willow tree," Agnes's gaze fell on the trunk beside her, her brow furrowing slightly, "I saw it yesterday."

"Natural Magic," Regulus said casually, "Let's see if we can revive him."

Agnes's brow relaxed. She glanced at the scars on the trunk that had deepened again, then at the new shoots emerging from the tips. "It's growing," she said softly, but her joy was evident.

People who have worked with plants for a long time are like this: they like to see them alive.

"The cycle has been rebuilt," Regulus said, adding, "It's a bit weak, but wait a little longer, and it'll be almost there."

Agnes nodded, then remained silent for a moment, looking at Regulus with some hesitation, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

Regulus didn't ask any further questions or make any guesses; he simply watched her and waited there.

Agnes was about to leave, but after taking two steps, she stopped, turned around, and spoke again, "Mr. Black."

She glanced at the coastline first, then looked at Regulus: "Snell Rock, that little island to the west... it's been stuck here for who knows how many years."

Regulus coughed lightly, feeling slightly uneasy.

Snell Rock, that island has a name.

Once something has a name, someone will call it by name, and once they've called it by name, they'll remember it.

He felt a rare pang of guilt, and tried to keep his tone calm and subtle. "Sorry, it was an accident, I made it heavy."

In the future, when looking for test targets, we need to look further afield. Even if the ones nearby are unclaimed, having names on them isn't ideal.

Agnes looked at him and remained silent for a while.

Such a large island, even with the best intentions, it wouldn't sink. How could it be destroyed accidentally?

Then she waved her hand, her apron sleeves fluttering in the wind, her tone seemingly normal. "It's fine, it's just blocking the way anyway." She looked back at his face. "The Salamander you requested are ready, four adults and two juveniles."

Upon hearing the word "Salamander," Baruk lifted his head from the venison, his limbs still streaked with blood. He quickly opened and closed them twice, making a clicking sound, appearing somewhat excited.

"Shall I deliver the Cabin to you?" Agnes asked.

"Thank you for your help, Ms. Agnes," Regulus nodded in thanks. "Thank you."

Agnes smiled again, "Of course, Mr. Black."

She didn't say anything more, turned around and walked back, stepped over the Hemp Rope, removed the Shield Charm, and walked away.

Baruk finished eating the venison, climbed back onto his shoulder, and opened and closed his claws.

"Island?"

Regulus lowered his hand, withdrew his Natural Magic Power, and began to eat.

The Yorkshire Pudding was piping hot. I scooped out a big spoonful and put it in my mouth. The brandy Butter sauce had a rich aroma, and the roast beef was tender and juicy.

He replied while eating, "Island, about yesterday, I didn't take you."

Baruk lifted his front leg slightly and gestured in the air. "Big?"

"It was quite large," Regulus nodded, "But it's gone now."

Baruk's chelicerae clicked twice, probably interpreting the absence of the larger creature as unimportant. It retracted its forelegs and perched on his shoulder to begin digesting.

After finishing his meal, Regulus drank a few sips of tea and continued to place his hands on the tree trunk, infusing it with Natural Magic Power.

The afternoon sun was warmer than the morning sun.

With his eyes closed, Natural Magic Power flowed from his palms into the tree trunk, and the circulation within the Whomping Willow gradually intensified.

This process made him think of something.

He was rebuilding the cycle of a plant whose Magic Power had been depleted, introducing Magic Power from the outside to help its circuits start running again and restore its ability to absorb Magic Power from the environment.

Baruk's transformation is another matter, grafting a foreign Magic Power property onto a living being, allowing it to grow new branches of Magic Power. The underlying logic of the two matters is very similar: integrating foreign Magic Power into an existing system, allowing the system and the new Magic Power to integrate and eventually operate stably. Natural Magic Power can act as the adhesive in both of these matters.

He didn't think much of it, but this idea would come in handy when he did more complex cross-species modifications for Baruk later.

As the sun slowly moved westward, he continued the irrigation until evening.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, he removed his hand from the tree trunk.

With the Natural Magic Power severed, the state of the Whomping Willow began to decline.

The dampness on the tree trunk was fading, the tender green buds stopped growing, and the branches that had been swaying slightly slowed down. A few minutes later, it was much worse than it had been in the afternoon, but still much better than it had been in the morning.

The buds are still there, they haven't withered away, and although the branches are moving slowly, they are still moving.

He pressed his hand against the tree trunk to sense it. The Magic Power circulation had stabilized, and the root system was also absorbing Magic Power from the environment, but at a very slow pace, probably just enough to keep it alive, not enough for it to recover.

Far from healthy, but not dead yet.

It's unlikely to recover on its own; it will require professional help.

He could do it, but he didn't have time. He only had a few days left of his vacation, and he still had to work on Baruk's modifications.

Professor Sprout is the most authoritative witch in the field of Magical Plant in all of UK. If anyone can bring back this Whomping Willow, it's hers. We'll ask the professor after school starts if she'd be willing to raise another Whomping Willow.

He walked out from under the tree. Baruk, who had been clinging to the trunk at some point, saw him move, spun out a strand of spider silk, swung himself over, and landed on his shoulder.

Regulus glanced at it sideways and said casually, "Let's take a walk."

He didn't add the Transfiguration spell to Baruk.

Now that Agnes has already met him, there's no need to hide anymore; a talking spider can't be an ordinary spider.

Next, it needs to be modified; it definitely needs to be restored to its normal size. It hasn't been back to its original size in a long time, so it'll be a good opportunity for it to stretch its legs. The man and the spider headed towards the cliff.

The sea breeze blows from the west, and the withered grass on the ground bends to the east.

The sunlight slanted down from above the sea, casting long shadows on the ground. His shadow was long and thin, while Baruk's shadow was round and followed beside his head.

After walking for about twenty minutes, Regulus shrugged his shoulders, Baruk jumped down, and then his body began to change shape.

The Transfiguration spell doesn't fade instantly; it's like a balloon being slowly inflated.

First came the torso; the area of the carapace was expanding, and the bristles changed from fine down to coarse bristles. Then the eight legs slowly lengthened, making a cracking sound at the joints. Baruk looked down at his forelegs, which were getting longer and longer, and paused for a moment.

It tried to walk forward, but found that its stride suddenly didn't match its leg length. Each step it took was much longer than expected, and it almost tripped after taking two steps.

It quickly adjusted; the Acromantula's nervous system reacts rapidly, and its gait returned to normal within seconds, only the rhythm was different. It took large strides, thumping on the ground.

A dozen minutes later, the Transfiguration spell completely wore off, and an adult Acromantula stood on the cliffs of Cornwall.

It is nearly two meters long, and its eight legs have an even wider span. Its carapace gleams with a deep brown sheen in the setting sun. Its bristles are thick and long, and its eight eyes are arranged in two rows, gleaming with a bright white light.

It's a whole size bigger than the last time we saw it in the Forbidden Forest.

Following Regulus, they had no worries about food or lodging, and even got to eat Dragon Meat —conditions the Forbidden Forest never offered.

Perhaps also because he had broken away from the group and was no longer oppressed by it, he had quietly grown a little taller.

Baruk was visibly pleased after regaining his full size.

It first turned around in place, then stepped back and forth on the ground with its eight legs to make sure it could exert force.

Then suddenly he took off running, fast, his eight legs landing alternately, kicking up clouds of dust and bits of grass.

It ran around Regulus in a huge circle, one lap after another, faster and faster, its eight legs thumping on the ground, unable to stop. After two laps, it ran far away, disappearing behind the bushes at the edge of the cliff, only to return on its own in less than half a minute.

It stopped abruptly in front of Regulus, its eight legs plunging into the ground to halt, but the momentum caused it to slide forward half a meter, its bristles standing on end and then falling back down.

Then it lowered its body, tucked its front legs together, braced its hind legs on the ground, flattened its carapace, and stared at him with all eight eyes.

A deep, rough thumping sound came from its limbs, deeper than when it was smaller. "Regulus... come up."

Regulus's lips curled up slightly. He used Levitation Charm to gently lift himself up and land on Baruk's carapace, sitting cross-legged. The carapace felt more stable than he had expected; the curvature of the shell was just right for him to sit on, making him feel secure and comfortable.

Baruk stood up, turned and ran, faster than before, the wind pressure he created pressing a long furrow into the grass.

It ran along the edge of the cliff, with withered grass on its left and the sea on its right. The sea breeze blew from the side, lifting Regulus's robe to one side. He sat on the spider's back, the setting sun shining from the right, the sea surface orange-red, and the waves below the cliff crashing against the stone walls with muffled sounds. Baruk ran for a while, then turned back, then ran for a while, then turned back again.

Each turnaround was a little further than the last, as if measuring my leg strength and endurance.

It is very happy.

The Acromantula in the Forbidden Forest couldn't possibly dislike large size.

Size equals status, power, and the "I'm bigger than you, so I can eat you "Forbidden Forest principle.

Baruk had gotten used to being the size of a palm to follow Regulus, and now that he was back to his original size, he was overjoyed. After running enough, Baruk stopped at the edge of the cliff, his round belly rising and falling slightly.

Regulus patted its carapace. "Let's go, go back, and become stronger."

Baruk's large claws clicked and clacked, sounding excited. "Amazing... amazing!"

Then it carried Regulus to the Cabin, its eight long legs moving incredibly fast.

Upon reaching the door, Baruk immediately rushed forward.

It's stuck.

The two-meter-long, Acromantula was so large that even its head couldn't fit through the door frame of the stone Cabin, which was about 1.2 meters wide.

Baruk stepped back, his eight eyes glanced at the door frame, then at himself, and lifted his front leg slightly, presumably for comparison.

After the competition, I realized I really couldn't get in.

It lay on the ground, its chelipeds clicking, clearly unhappy.