Not long after Harley left, a huge, dark mass of Acromantulas suddenly appeared deep in the Forbidden Forest.
The Acromantulas at the front seemed to be the deserters from earlier.
Seeing the blood-soaked battlefield and the bodies of their kin, they grew furious and began frantically searching for the culprit.
But they found nothing.
Harley had been cautious the whole time, covering her tracks and even using essential oils to mask her scent before leaving.
In the end, they could only clean up the battlefield and carry the bodies of their other kin back to their lair.
The Acromantulas' lair lay in a broad hollow deep in the Forbidden Forest.
The trees there had long since been cleared away, leaving only vast swathes of webbing.
Many Acromantulas, each as large as a horse, moved about, waving their pincers at one another.
At the center of a mist-shrouded web in the middle of the hollow crouched an old spider as large as a young elephant.
It was black all over, speckled with abnormal gray patches that looked like age spots on an elderly Muggle.
The Acromantulas who had gone to clean up the battlefield marched straight ahead. The others along their path all moved aside.
"Aragog! Aragog!"
The largest Acromantula at the front came up to Aragog, clacking and waving its pincers.
Aragog shook its head and turned toward the sound.
A milky film covered every one of its eyes, leaving it completely blind to its surroundings.
"You reported earlier that a terrifying human girl was slaughtering our kin. What's the situation now?"
"Aragog! Human girl! She! Disappeared!"
"We brought back! Bodies! The bodies of our other companions!"
The Acromantulas waved their pincers with every word, speaking in broken phrases.
But Aragog was used to the way its children spoke.
After