106 Chapter 106: "Hallow's Eve Morning"

Time at Hogwarts flew by without anything interesting happening, and soon it was Quidditch season again. Although not interested in watching Quidditch games, Harry decided to attend this year's matches to support his friends. They were starting off this year and Harry wanted to cheer for them as well as see how they would perform in actual games. They were quite good in the games they played during the weekends and Harry had high expectations.

The season kicked off with a match between Gryffindor and Slytherin, two of the strongest contenders for the Quidditch Cup. The game, however, turned out to be tough for the young Gryffindor chasers. Despite their speed and skill, they struggled against the aggressive play style of the Slytherin team, who didn't shy away from using rough tactics. The Slytherin players even resorted to fouling the Gryffindor newbies, aiming to injure them and knock them out of the game. Harry watched frustrated from the stands, angry at the unfairness but knowing he couldn't intervene without causing more trouble for himself and his friends.

Slytherin won decisively with a score of 300 to 50, but their happiness was short-lived. The next day, each Slytherin player mysteriously ended up with a joker face painted on their faces that wouldn't wash off. While they blamed the Weasley twins for the prank, Harry just watched everything unfold with a quiet smile.

Next was the match between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Roger, playing for Ravenclaw, showed good form, possibly performing a bit better than the Gryffindor players due to his stronger build, but it wasn't enough to make a significant difference. The game highlighted how physical strength and fitness were crucial for chasers in Quidditch. The match ended with Hufflepuff emerging victorious, thanks to Cedric Diggory's quick reflexes as a seeker. His lean build and quickness on the broom helped him outpace the Ravenclaw seeker, snagging the snitch for his team and securing the win.

Weeks went by quickly after the Quidditch matches, and before long, it was the last day of October—Halloween. This day always put Harry on edge. In the days leading up to it, he had been extra vigilant, using the Marauder's Map to patrol the castle and diving into the DADA professor's memories in search of any hint of trouble. But so far, everything seemed normal. It looked like this might actually be a calm year, which made Harry cautiously optimistic.

On the morning of Halloween, Harry stuck to his routine. He jogged to his secluded training spot in the Forbidden Forest, where he practiced with his wooden sword. He enjoyed the peacefulness of the forest, which helped him concentrate and practice the sword undisturbed.

As he was intensely practicing his sword strikes on the training dummy, Harry suddenly heard a strange hissing sound. He paused, sword in mid-air, and listened intently.

The forest was usually quiet apart from the natural sounds of wildlife, and Harry had set up protective wards to ensure his training spot remained undisturbed. Intrigued and a bit alarmed, Harry wondered who or what could have bypassed his defenses. The hissing was unusual, and he couldn't immediately place what could be making such a noise in this part of the forest.

As he concentrated, Harry realized that the hissing noise he heard was actually a snake talking.

"Why is that human hitting a dead tree? The human might be crazy," said the sanke, which Harry understood clearly due to being a parselmouth.

Once Harry recognized the source of the sound as that of a snake, his curiosity faded, and he picked up his sword to resume his practice.

"For a moment I thought the human heard me speak and was looking for me. Silly me. Speakers are too rare, there's no way someone as great as a speaker would be hitting a dead tree like that."

Harry ignored the snake and continued his practice. In his previous life, the presence of a snake might have scared him away from the spot forever, but in this life, a snake was as insignificant to him as an ant. He could kill a snake with a thought alone.

"I don't have time to watch this crazy human. Those darn spiders—I don't know what's gotten into them. They've started moving from their nest. They must be mad moving so close to the edge of the forest."

Harry paused in his sword practice when he heard this last bit. On a day like today, he was especially vigilant, and any mention of large spiders set off alarm bells in his head.

Large spiders in the Forbidden Forest were likely the acromantulas descended from Hagrid's pet Aragog. The idea of those dangerous creatures coming close to the edge of the forest near the school suggested trouble might be brewing.

Harry, feeling a strong sense of urgency, began searching for the source of the voice. He soon located the chatty snake, which from its markings, he identified as a common European viper, also known as an adder.

He cautiously approached the snake.

"Why did the crazy human stop again? Why is he coming towards me? Should I run?" the snake wondered aloud in alarm.

In Parseltongue, Harry called out, "Come out, snake, I need to talk to you."

Over the years, Harry had mastered the ability to switch between speaking Parseltongue and his normal language with ease.

"A speaker! I am honored," the snake exclaimed, its tone shifting to one of respect. "I apologize for my earlier words. I wasn't thinking clearly. Please, don't kill me."

"Quiet! I'm not going to kill you," Harry replied quickly. "I need information about the spiders you mentioned just now."

"Those terrible spiders? Oh, Speaker, you should eliminate them. They're dreadful. They built a new nest right next to my home, and I had no choice but to flee," the snake explained.

"Why did they move? What happened to their leader?" Harry inquired, seeking more details.

"There's a rumor of a civil war within their group. The clan split, and the losing group was expelled," the snake revealed.

Harry understood that there must have been a falling out between Aragog and a new, strong acromantula, leading to the division. Realizing the potential threat this posed, he decided it was essential to investigate this splinter group to determine if they posed any danger to the school.

With his acceptance of Gryffindor's legacy, Harry felt a responsibility to protect Hogwarts from external threats.

"Lead me to these spiders," Harry commanded.

Excited by the prospect of reclaiming its home, the snake agreed eagerly, "Yes, Speaker! Destroy them. Let's take back my home."

Harry cautiously followed the snake as it weaved through the trees, leading him to a part of the forest close to the Great Lake. He remembered jogging through this area last year, but it looked completely different now.

Where there had once been a shadowy grove dense with tall trees, there were now sprawling webs shimmering with dew. The webs were teeming with acromantulas of various sizes—some as big as small cars. Seeing about 200 of these formidable creatures so close to the school grounds was truly alarming. Even with his considerable skills, Harry wasn't confident he could handle such a vast number of these dangerous spiders on his own.

Based on his unfortunate relationship with Halloween at Hogwarts, Harry couldn't shake the feeling that something was bound to go wrong tonight, possibly involving this large group of acromantulas.

Unsure of the best course of action and knowing he couldn't handle this threat alone, Harry realized he needed to alert someone—either one of the professors or Sirius, who was now working in the Auror Department.

While Harry was lost in thought, considering his options, the snake, eager to take back its home, slithered a bit too boldly. Its movement caught the attention of the nearby acromantulas.