The corridors of Hogwarts at night felt much longer than during the day.
Footsteps echoed off the stone walls, and the wizards in the portraits muttered in disapproval, but neither of them stopped.
Hermione followed closely behind Daimon with hurried steps.
She didn’t ask the way, nor did she ask about the plan; she simply followed.
Daimon was actually a bit surprised by her no-nonsense attitude.
They bypassed the corridor where Filch usually patrolled, went down several flights of stairs, and slipped through a secret door.
Hermione noticed that Daimon’s familiarity with the castle far exceeded what a first-year should have, but she remained silent.
The two of them quickly made their way to a side door of the castle.
Moonlight spilled over the grass.
In the distance, the Forbidden Forest stood dark and imposing, like a slumbering beast.
Just as Daimon was about to push the door open, Hermione suddenly pulled his sleeve.
“Over there,” she pointed toward the entrance of the Forbidden Forest.
Two red heads were exceptionally prominent under the moonlight.
The Weasley twins were sneakily making their way toward the Forbidden Forest.
George held a piece of parchment tightly in his hand, while the wand in Fred’s hand glowed.
“I was right.
They’re really going into the Forbidden Forest.
That is too dangerous,” Hermione’s voice carried a hint of anxiety.
She still remembered Albus Dumbledore’s warning to the new students at the start-of-term feast—the school’s Forbidden Forest was very dangerous.
Daimon said nothing.
He simply pushed the side door open and quickly made his way toward the Forbidden Forest.
Hermione gritted her teeth and followed.
The twins paused for a few seconds at the forest entrance, as if confirming that Filch was not around.
Then, taking deep breaths, they stepped into the dark woods.
Daimon and Hermione crouched down behind a large boulder not far away.
“What do we do now?” Hermione whispered.
“Wait.” “Wait for what?” Daimon didn’t answer.
Just as Hermione was about to ask again, a thunderous roar suddenly echoed from the distance.
“You two rascals!
Hold it right there!” Hagrid.
The corners of Daimon’s mouth curled slightly upward.
A commotion erupted in the woods, the sound of snapping branches mixing with heavy footsteps.
Immediately following, two red-haired figures bolted out of the Forbidden Forest entrance, running faster than rabbits.
George ran in the lead, with Fred close behind, their faces looking as if they had seen a ghost.
“How did he know?!” George cursed as he ran.
Fred yelled, “You should have looked closer at the Marauder’s Map!” Behind them, Hagrid’s massive frame crashed through the branches as he burst out, his beard shaking with rage.
“Malfoy told me someone was going to sneak into the Forest tonight.
I didn’t believe him at first, but to think it was you two!
School’s only been started for a few days!” “Hold it right there!
I’m taking you to Professor McGonagall!” The twins didn’t stop; instead, they ran even faster.
They bolted across the lawn, heading straight for the side door of the castle.
That was the route they had slipped out of.
Hagrid gave chase from behind, his heavy footsteps causing the ground to tremble slightly.
Daimon and Hermione hid behind the boulder, remaining completely still.
George was the first to crash through the side door, with Fred right behind him.
The two sprinted down the dark corridor, knocking over several vases and kicking away a tin bucket.
Hagrid reached the side door, got momentarily wedged because of his size, then squeezed his way in furiously to continue the chase.
The corridor was in utter chaos.
Just as the twins rounded a corner, thinking they had made a clean escape…
A figure appeared ahead.
Filch.
He held a lantern in his hand, his greasy face glowing with an excited, reddish light in its glow.
“Got you at last, you little scoundrels!” George screeched to a halt, and Fred crashed headfirst into his back.
Trapped from both ends.
Hagrid’s footsteps approached from behind.
“Weasleys,” Hagrid’s voice rumbled like thunder.
“Keep running, you two.
Go on, keep running.” George and Fred exchanged glances, then raised their hands in unison.
“We surrender,” George said.
“We plead guilty,” Fred said.
Filch sneered, unhooking a set of chains from his belt.
“Detention, for a month.
You two will polish every single trophy in the castle.” “That’s not nearly enough punishment!” Hagrid said, puffing as he walked over and glared down at the twins, clearly furious.
He and Filch marched the twins deeper into the corridor.
—————– On the other side.
Daimon stood up from behind the boulder and brushed the dust off his robes.
“Let’s go.” Hermione followed behind him, her face lit with sudden comprehension.
“Malfoy snitched?
That’s why you changed the duel location to the Forbidden Forest—to use George and Fred to draw away Hagrid and Filch.” Daimon whirled around, his gaze deep and dark as he stared at Hermione.
“You know too much.
Do you know what happens to people who are too clever?
They often don’t live to see tomorrow’s sun.” Hermione gasped in fright, and once she realized he was teasing, her pale face flushed slightly as she gave him a punch.
“Stop trying to scare me.” Daimon’s lips quirked up slightly, and he didn’t dodge.
“What kind of wager did you make with them anyway?” Hermione asked, rubbing her fist.
“A bet on who can enter the Forbidden Forest and bring back something unique to it first,” Daimon said, turning to walk into the forest.
“The wager is twenty Gold Galleons.” “Twenty Gold Galleons?!” Hermione squeaked.
“No wonder George and Fred were so excited today.” She had clearly heard the rumors about the Weasley family’s financial struggles.
Chatting as they walked, the two of them stepped into the Forbidden Forest, and the darkness instantly swallowed their figures.
It was a forest where even the moonlight could not penetrate.
Gnarly, claw-like trees stood like endless walls, with only the light from their wands illuminating the path ahead.
Even the usually brave Hermione couldn’t help but feel a bit afraid, huddling close to Daimon’s side.
“I have a bad feeling about this.
Let’s just find something quick as proof and get out!
I think that herb over there looks quite unique…” Hermione suggested.
“Shh,” Daimon suddenly stopped.
Hermione shut her mouth instantly.
Something was moving about twenty paces ahead of them.
It wasn’t the sound of wind rustling leaves.
It was the movement of some large creature—heavy, slow, and carrying the distinctive restraint of a predator.
Daimon narrowed his eyes.
His night vision was far better than an average person’s.
In the dark, he could faintly make out a massive silhouette—eight legs, a hairy body, and an abdomen that gleamed with an eerie green hue in the faint light.
“It’s an Acromantula, a Class XXXXX beast, an extremely dangerous magical spider with highly toxic venom,” Hermione recited, her face pale with terror yet still managing to spout facts.
“I read about it in *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them*.
How could there be something so dangerous in the Forbidden Forest?” “Get back,” Daimon whispered.
Hermione forced herself to raise her wand.
“We can use Stupefy, or…” “That stuff won’t work on it.” Daimon didn’t retreat; instead, he took a step forward.
The Acromantula moved.
All eight of its legs propelled it forward, its massive body lunging at a speed completely disproportionate to its size.
Its two front pincers clicked open, dripping with transparent venom.
Daimon raised his hand.
A wisp of orange flame leapt from his palm and erupted in the darkness.
The Acromantula let out a sharp screech, its body recoiling violently.
Several of its front legs had been singed by the fire, sending a scorched smell wafting through the air.
However, instead of being driven back, it grew even more rabid, spitting out a glob of thick, sticky webbing.
Daimon dodged to the side.
The webbing splattered against the tree trunk behind him, making a sizzling, corrosive sound.
“Run to the left!” he shouted to Hermione.
Hermione didn’t hesitate, darting along the bushes to the left.
The Acromantula’s attention was entirely on Daimon, its eight legs scuttling in rapid succession at a terrifying speed.
Daimon didn’t use the Rabbit Talisman.
That power was too conspicuous, and Hermione was right next to him.
But he had fire.
The fire of a demon.
He drew his yew wand, and the terrifying Fiendfyre fused with the Fire Demon Qi, transforming into a roaring dragon.
The dragon spread its wings and lunged at the Acromantula.
The horrifyingly high temperature and unquenchable flames incapacitated the beast in a matter of moments.
It let out one final, piercing screech, its eight legs twitching a few times before it crashed to the ground, its entire body reeking of burnt flesh.