Guesses and Promises

"That's all I know about that terrifying man."

Aragog's One Hundred Eighty-Eight grandson said, still shaken, "Today was definitely the most unforgettable day of my spider life."

It now looked as though it were wearing a Ghillie Suit, all shaggy and green. When it crawled, it looked like a moving bush-not frightening in the slightest, but rather comical-

In fact, this was already the result after Brian had helped it deal with the exuberant plants growing on its body.

The power produced by combining Ancient Healing Magic with the vitality of plant seeds was even more formidable than Brian had imagined. After the Healing Magic restored their vitality, the plants underwent an explosive burst of growth.

In that short span of time, their roots had already burrowed into Number One Hundred Eighty-Eight's flesh—an undoubtedly unpleasant experience, but no matter what, becoming a plant-covered giant spider was far better than being torn apart by its own kind and preserved in their stomach acid.

Brian was certain that any expert studying Acromantulas would snap photos nonstop at the sight of Number One Hundred Eighty-Eight.

And once that expert published this momentous discovery in a prestigious journal, the other experts would condemn them in speech and print-

"Please show Acromantulas some respect. Every living creature has dignity. Don't parade a freak created through artificial interference just to sensationalize it!"

Brian shook his head, dismissed these idle thoughts, and went over what Number One Hundred Eighty-Eight had just said before concluding:

"From what you've told us, that powerful wizard seems to have used the Unforgivable Curses... There seem to be two personalities inside his body, and they're even in a master-servant relationship. Their shared goal is to find a stone called the Philosopher's Stone, along with unicorn blood.

"The Philosopher's Stone is hidden beneath a Trapdoor guarded by a Three-Headed Dog, and the Unicorn herd is in the Forbidden Forest. Looks like we'll need to spend more time searching the forest. After all, we don't know where that Trapdoor is... Hagrid? What did you want to say?"

"Huh? No... nothing, I..."

Hagrid's expression grew conflicted. He hemmed and hawed for a while before finally saying in anguish,

"Sorry, Brian... I've been keeping something from you, but I can't tell you what it is. I made a promise to someone!"

Brian was momentarily taken aback-well, this rough-and-ready half-giant really was almost too honest sometimes.

"It's all right. Everyone has a few secrets they can't share. I've been keeping things from you too, and I haven't even apologized-sorry, Hagrid-there, now we're even. Don't worry about it anymore."

Brian smiled and patted the big man. He had thought Hagrid was about to reveal something extraordinary, only to receive an apology instead-it even left him feeling a little guilty, considering he hadn't so much as blinked when he lied earlier.

After that exchange, Brian's thoughts began to wander again.

He had a bold suspicion-perhaps the stone fragment currently tucked in his inner pocket, glowing like a firefly and constantly giving off heat, was part of the Philosopher's Stone. It seemed quite likely. Who had ever said the Philosopher's Stone was a single, intact stone?

If possible, he wanted to locate that Trapdoor and test his theory-but that wouldn't be easy. Who knew where it was? It might be in the Forbidden Forest, in Hogwarts, or even in Hogsmeade...

"Brian... that's your name, isn't it? You saved my life. How can I repay you?" Number One Hundred Eighty-Eight asked hesitantly,

"I know my venom is worth a lot in your human world. You can come and collect some regularly-I can't give it all to you at once, or my chances of catching prey would drop considerably..."

His train of thought interrupted, Brian considered this for a moment and said:

"No, there's no need. I only need you to promise me two things. First, you must never attack a human unprovoked, unless that person is trying to kill you. Second, if you see a human in danger, help them as much as you can. Can you do that?"

From Number One Hundred Eighty-Eight's account, as well as his own firsthand experience, Brian had discovered something frightening—

The terrifyingly numerous Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest did obey Aragog's orders not to attack Hagrid or Fang, but they still regarded other humans as delicious, scarce food.

And from what he had observed over the past two days, not all Hogwarts students were well-behaved little angels. There were always a few students foolish enough to sneak into the Forbidden Forest for one reason or another-practically delivering a meal to the spiders' doorstep.

"I promise, Brian."

Number One Hundred Eighty-Eight answered without much hesitation,

"Even if you hadn't said that, I doubt I could stomach the thought of human flesh again... That man... hiss... terrifying..."

It seemed to be remembering the instant that green spell had struck it. Its entire body gave an unnatural shudder, shedding five or six leaves and two tempting wild berries.

"Good. Then it's settled."

Brian nodded in satisfaction,

"Look on the bright side. You might not even need spider silk to hunt anymore. When you stay perfectly still, you look exactly like a low berry bush that herbivores love to eat."

"One Hundred Eighty-Eight, I'll be keeping an eye on you."

Aragog suddenly chimed in, sounding rather pleased,

"This is a promise between you and Brian, just like the promise between Hagrid and me."

"Yes, Chief," Number One Hundred Eighty-Eight said obediently. "I'll always keep it in mind."

"Aragog, do you know where the Unicorns have been lately?" Hagrid suddenly asked.

"No, Hagrid... why ask me? I hate those meddlesome creatures!"

Aragog shook his head irritably,

"They have horns on their heads, but instead of hunting with them, they use magic to scare away the prey we've set our sights on-I hate them!"

Brian very much wanted to remind Aragog that Unicorns were herbivores. They didn't need to hunt, only wander about looking for plants they liked to eat-but there was clearly no point saying that to an Acromantula that couldn't live without meat.

"You don't know where the Unicorns are?" Brian asked Hagrid, a little puzzled.

The Forbidden Forest was certainly vast, and the Unicorn herd was admittedly rather small, but Hagrid had been its keeper for so many years. He was also a natural genius at getting along with fantastic beasts. How could someone like him have no contact with the Unicorns?

"I usually do, but things are different right now."

Hagrid scratched his head in frustration,

"It's the Unicorns' breeding season. Every year around this time, I can't track down their exact whereabouts. It's as if they suddenly disappear, then suddenly reappear."

"Maybe we could ask the Centaurs?" Brian suggested. "Look, they all walk on four hooves."