"It shouldn't be," Hermione shook her head, analyzing the situation rationally.
" Voldemort survived by relying on Unicorn Blood back then, his goal was very clear. But now the missing animals are of a very different kind, it seems more like..." She looked at Hagrid.
"That's right! It must be those damned poachers!" Hagrid picked up on Hermione's guess, then slammed his large hands on his knees in anger, making the teacup jump.
"Only greedy creatures would hunt indiscriminately in the Forbidden Forest for furs, horns, or rare organs! They don't care about the balance here at all!"
"Let's go in and take a look."
Draco stood up and made the suggestion.
Although Hermione hesitated, after all, poachers were ruthless criminals, she finally nodded when she saw Hagrid's helpless eyes.
Led by Hagrid, the trio cautiously stepped into the forest that was gradually being swallowed by twilight.
They followed the Hagrid knew deep into the woods.
However, they hadn't walked far when they began to hear an unsettling rustling sound coming from the surrounding bushes.
Suddenly, several enormous spiders with eight gleaming black eyes emerged from the shadows and blocked the way. They looked like descendants of Aragog.
Draco reacted extremely quickly, his wand already drawn.
The incantation was about to slip out.
"No!" Hagrid quickly stretched out his large hand, blocking Draco's path to stop him. Then he turned to the hostile spiders and roared:
"Stop! It's me, Hagrid! Rubeus Hagrid!"
" Hagrid... we don't want to hurt anyone, but recently, a group of uninvited guests have come to the Forbidden Forest." The spiders' restless steps faltered, and the largest of them stepped forward and said.
"Who is it?" Hagrid asked nervously.
"Nine wizards." The spider's voice was filled with fear.
"They set up camp deep in the forest and burned large areas of grassland. We spiders are most afraid of fire, so we dare not approach. Even now they are still... catching our people."
"Descendants of Aragog, aren't you always known for your ferocity? Why are you afraid of these few poachers? With your numbers, why not just crush them into mincemeat?"
Draco asked it, somewhat surprised.
The spider seemed stung by those words, waving its front legs, but still helplessly explained:
"Of course we're not afraid. If an ordinary wizard dared to enter the forest, we would have turned them into food under our spider webs long ago."
"But this group is different. The leader knows an incredibly powerful Fire-Making Spell, so powerful it's terrifying. Our nets and bodies ignite the moment they touch it. So, we have to be wary."
"Then why don't you ask Hagrid or Hogwarts for help?" Hermione asked it.
"We... we didn't intend to call for help," the spider said.
Hermione frowned, a knowing yet slightly helpless expression on her face, and explained to Draco:
"This aligns with the mindset of most Magical Creatures, especially those with a degree of intelligence but whose beliefs differ greatly from those of wizards. They are not accustomed to viewing wizards as someone they can turn to for help, but rather as a threat or someone they need to be wary of."
"Typical spider mentality," Draco scoffed. "Pride prevents them from asking for help; even facing annihilation, they stubbornly cling to their pride. Utterly foolish!"
Upon hearing the word "stupid," the giant spider's pincers trembled slightly, seemingly indicating some displeasure.
But under Hagrid's watchful eye, it ultimately did not retaliate.
Hermione and Hagrid exchanged a glance, shook their heads helplessly, and tacitly accepted Draco's straightforward yet accurate remark.
Hermione then gently shook her head at Draco, indicating that he didn't need to provoke him any further.
Draco ignored the spiders' emotions and turned to the leader, asking pragmatically, "You know exactly where their camp is, right?"
The giant spider nodded and pointed to a dark area deeper in the Forbidden Forest.
"Since that's the case, how about this?" A glint of ruthlessness flashed in Draco's eyes as he turned to Hagrid and Hermione and suggested.
"Let's unite all the creatures in the Forbidden Forest —spiders, centaurs, even the Thestral —and work together from within to wipe out these poachers! Let them never return."
Hagrid paused, scratching his messy hair with his large hand, his expression a mixture of conflict and gratitude. "... You really have a lot of guts when it comes to this idea, Draco."
"The big guys in the Forbidden Forest must hate these poachers a long time ago. But we can't just act recklessly."
Hagrid ultimately refused, and Hermione immediately objected, stating firmly:
" Draco, this is absolutely unacceptable! Most of the creatures in the Forbidden Forest are beyond the control of wizards and are untamed."
"If they are incited to launch organized attacks against humans, the situation will immediately spiral out of control, and the consequences will be completely unpredictable."
"This would likely be classified by the Ministry of Magic as a large-scale riot of dangerous creatures. What measures will the Auror Office and the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures take then?"
"Those who will be injured or even executed are only the tribes in the Forbidden Forest, and ourselves!"
She went on to list the legal provisions,
"To privately unite with Magical Creatures against wizards violates several magical laws,"
"This includes relevant clauses of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy and supplementary provisions of the Agreement on Prohibiting the Trade in Illegal Magical Creatures. We could be expelled, and even face trial."
"Alright then." Draco shrugged. "Let's just have Dumbledore handle it then, that should be fine, right?"
"Yes!" Hermione agreed. "That's the safest way. Let's go tell him now, what the poachers were doing, and what the Aragog descendants have to say."
Hagrid breathed a sigh of relief, his face regaining its radiance. "That's right! I should have thought of talking to the headmaster a long time ago."
"But in my anxiety, all I could think about was protecting the guys in the Forbidden Forest, and I almost made a mistake."
" Draco, your second idea is much more reliable than the previous one about joining forces with the spiders!" The three reached a consensus, quickly left the Forbidden Forest, and headed straight for the castle.
As the spiral staircase rose, Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk when they entered the office. He seemed somewhat surprised to see Draco and Hermione.
" Draco, Hermione?" he asked, his tone questioning.
"I remember you should have already left school and started your journeys back to your respective families?"
"We just went to Hogsmeade for a while, Professor, we haven't officially left yet," Draco explained.
"Professor, we've discovered a poachers' camp deep within the Forbidden Forest," Hermione reported clearly and logically.
"According to the intelligence provided by the Acromantula, there are nine people in total, among whom the leader is proficient in high-level Fire-Making Spell and is hunting unicorns and other rare animals on a large scale. Their specific location is in a canyon on the north side of the Forbidden Forest, near the centaur territory."