[Note: Read up to Chapter - 140 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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"Are you sure Dumbledore's actually let you keep a dragon in the Forbidden Forest?"
"And it's a dragon that can't even talk!"
"A dragon with no wit, just spitting fire and wreaking havoc everywhere!"
The three young wizards fired off their doubts one after another, completely dismantling Hagrid's defence.
"I'm certain Dumbledore kept Iris because she's as clever as any human," Hermione chipped in. "And with Aris around, she's no threat to the castle."
"You lot don't understand a thing. I'll raise that little one properly… just like… just like Iris, mark my words!"
Hagrid blushed and started going back and forth with Harry and the others.
"Dragons aren't easy to train, mind," Ron muttered.
"My brother Charlie's told me people die every year trying to tame dragons!"
"Although filled with many mysteries… Dragons are beasts… It's in their very nature to hunt their prey and… they also seem to be cruel and tyrannical by nature... though, of course, Iris isn't like that!"
After catching a fierce glare from the little dragon, Ron quickly backtracked.
"Alright, enough chit-chat!"
Aris had to cut in, seeing how worked up they'd all gotten.
"If we keep this up, it'll be dark before we get anywhere."
"Hagrid, you lead them out first. I'll head in alone, and you can follow after."
With that, Aris turned and pressed deeper into the Forbidden Forest.
With Iris guiding him, he soon found the centaur tribe's home.
"I'm not having any of this!" Hermione suddenly grabbed Aris, stubborn as ever. "We're coming with you!"
"I don't know what you're planning, but maybe we can help?" Harry and Ron looked at Aris expectantly, completely ignoring Hagrid's protests.
Everyone could tell Aris was the one calling the shots on this operation.
"No!" Aris shook his head firmly.
Not to mention the dangers lurking deep in the Forbidden Forest, the centaur tribe probably wouldn't be too thrilled to see three young wizards turning up uninvited.
After all, they've been fighting tooth and nail to preserve the pride of their race even against the wizards.
They wouldn't keep refusing alliances with wizards if they weren't fiercely protective of their secrets.
Now that their home's been wrecked, there's no way they'd want outsiders witnessing their plight.
"But it's far too risky for you to go alone." Hagrid frowned. "Maybe wait here for me? I'll see the others out and be back in no time."
"We can take care of ourselves!" Harry finally found the courage to speak up, eager not to miss his chance.
He'd suspected from the start that Aris's mission into the Forbidden Forest was tied to Dumbledore and that mysterious matter on the fourth-floor corridor.
He felt this was his shot to get involved.
"You can't just leave me behind, can you?" Ron shrugged, having given up.
It didn't really matter to him if he pressed on or turned back now.
After all, Aris has a dragon on his side.
Even if we press on, we'll be heading right into the heart of the Forbidden Forest.
With a dragon standing guard, there shouldn't be any trouble!
Plus, there's a giant like Hagrid by our side!
Not even a werewolf would dare cross a dragon and a giant so easily.
Watching the hopeful looks on the trio's faces, Aris felt a bit of a headache coming on.
He wasn't worried about the dangers deep in the forest — after all, apart from the very centre, Iris was pretty much the uncrowned queen around here.
Who'd dare cause a ruckus without keeping their eyes peeled?
What did bother him was how the centaur tribe might react to the three young wizards.
If tensions flared, he'd be the one left holding the bag.
Just then, the pounding of horse hooves echoed urgently from deeper in the forest.
Aris spotted a group of centaurs charging towards them.
"Welcome, my king!"
Leading the group was Bain. Spotting Aris, he was the first to genuflect before him..
The others followed suit, all genuflecting in salute.
The sudden display stunned Hermione and the others.
They glanced between Aris and the centaurs, surprise written all over their faces.
"What's going on?" Hermione couldn't help but ask Hagrid.
"I'm guessing... this is the special title the centaurs have given Aris?" Ron chipped in.
"They seem to be calling Aris 'King'?" Harry's eyes went wide.
"If I'm right... have these centaurs been won over by Aris?"
"But how on earth did he manage that? How's it even possible?"
The trio felt their brains were about to short-circuit.
Ever since they first spotted the dragon, Aris had been nothing but a constant surprise.
Their emotions bounced about like a roller coaster.
"My King, you've finally arrived!" Bain approached Aris, half-bowing.
"Are you facing any troubles?"
"We've been waiting since yesterday. Firenze's got a stack of books ready and wants to chat astrology with you!"
"Sorry I'm late!" Aris said casually.
But the next moment, Bain dropped to one knee again.
"My King, please don't say that. It's our honour to wait for your arrival!"
"Also, the Dragon Messenger has been helping us rebuild our home these past two days. We're truly grateful!"
Aris's eyes flickered with doubt.
"Dragon Messenger?"
He instinctively glanced at Iris.
"What messenger is Bain on about... it can't be you, can it?"
"It's Iris!" The little dragon puffed out her chest proudly and said as if it were obvious, "I'm Master's pet. They respect Master as their king, so naturally, this dragon's the Master's messenger!"
"You helped rebuild their home, then?"
"Well, isn't Iris just brilliant!" The little dragon lifted her head again, clearly chuffed.
Aris hadn't expected that and gently rubbed her head.
"Good job, keep it up!"
"Bain, get up!" Aris called to the centaur. "Let's head to the tribe now."
"Hagrid, please see Harry and the others back."
With the centaurs around, Hagrid looked more at ease.
"No!" Hermione and Harry said in unison.
They finally caught on.
Aris had actually become king of these centaurs — absolutely mad!
What on earth had happened between them?
If Hermione hadn't realised, she probably wouldn't have slept a wink once back at the castle.
Harry felt the same, though his curiosity wasn't quite as intense.
Even Ron, who'd been ready to give up earlier, now had a gleam of anticipation in his eyes.
Seeing the hopeful looks on their faces, Bain hesitated for a moment before saying,
"My King, they're your friends — so naturally they're friends of our centaur tribe as well. Why not let them come see our new home?"
"We've got soldiers to carry them. It's quick, and they'll be back to the castle before dark, no problem!"
"Is that really alright?" Aris was taken aback.
He clearly remembered that in the original book, the centaurs were fiercely proud of their independence. When Bain saw Firenze carrying Harry, he nearly lost his rag and called Firenze a traitor — accusing him of betraying their neutral stance.
But now, Bain was actually offering to carry Harry and the others to visit the centaur tribe!
Could it be all down to Aris's connection with Harry and the gang?
For the first time, Aris truly grasped the respect the centaurs had for him, and the weight that came with being their "king."
As king, he'd even managed to get the centaurs to set aside their long-held prejudice against humans and reconsider their stance.
That meant the fate of the horse folk was really resting on his shoulders.
In that moment, Aris felt a crushing weight — as if a mountain was pressing down on him.
And that mountain is called responsibility.
"In that case, let's go together!" Aris finally agreed.
The trio of young wizards broke into wide grins.
With the centaurs joining them, the group grew considerably larger.
There was barely any trouble on the way.
Even if a few daft creatures tried to get close, they were swiftly taken down by the centaurs' arrows.
Their bows were still as deadly as ever.
Unless they were swarmed by a massive horde of spiders or faced a powerful beast like a dragon, they could handle most of the dangers in the Forbidden Forest.
Soon enough, the group reached the spiders' nest — Aragog's territory — and the centaurs instantly grew tense.
They knew full well how tough those spiders were to deal with.
If caught in a spider mob, even a full centaur troop would struggle to break free.
But… something weird happened…
"Strange... where are those blasted spiders?"
Bain was baffled as he passed the spiders' nest — not a single spider in sight.
"Are the spiders getting ready to hibernate?" he muttered to himself.
Just then, a cheeky voice piped up.
"Want to see a spider?"
The little dragon suddenly poked her head out from Aris's arms.
"Not on your nelly!" Bain shook his head sharpish.
Aris noticed the dragon flash a devilish grin.
Before anyone could react, Iris leapt from the boy's arms and flew straight towards the spider nest.
A mighty dragon roar echoed through the entire area.
At the sound, Aragog — lurking deep within the nest — gave a slight shudder.
"Why? We clearly told our young to keep well clear of him..."
A low, raspy voice rumbled from the depths. Aragog couldn't fathom why this 'evil star' was still causing such a fuss.
Did he expect all the young spiders to come out and welcome him underground?
A weary sigh drifted from the nest's darkest corners.
Then, as if on cue, a tidal wave of spiders poured out, as thick as a swarm.
From afar, Bain stood stunned at the sight.
Little did they know, the little dragon had already taken control of the entire nest.
Harry was so terrified his legs went jelly.
Staring at the writhing mass of spiders, a cold shiver ran down his spine.
Even pulling out his wand made his hands tremble.
It took him several tries before he finally managed to draw it.
"So many spiders!" Ron nearly collapsed to the ground.
Luckily, Hagrid was right beside him and scooped him up just in time.
Still, Ron's whole body was shaking as if he'd just seen the worst nightmare come to life.
The sheer mass of spiders crawling around made him so queasy he felt like fainting.
"Ar-Aris, why are there so many spiders?"
Hermione's face went deathly pale, and she instinctively leaned into Aris, clutching the corner of his robes tightly.
She didn't grab his hand, knowing a fight was about to kick off and that might mess with his spellcasting.
By comparison, she was the calmest of the three.
"Don't worry, those spiders won't touch us," Aris called out to the group.
Hagrid had known that long ago. Apart from Aris and the little dragon, he was the calmest bloke on the field.
He'd never forget that night a few days back when Aragog himself knelt before Aris and the little dragon in submission.
He'd probably remember that for the rest of his life.
After all, Aragog had been raised by Hagrid from a pup — and yet, not even his own offspring showed him such respect!
He couldn't fathom how Aris managed it.
"Aris, that's no laughing matter!" Ron was nearly in tears.
At that moment, apart from Hagrid, no one else on the scene really believed Aris's words.
There were so many spiders — each one a good one or two metres long — looking ferocious and ravenous.
How could they just stand there and watch their dinner slip through their fingers?
Even Hermione, sensing Aris was trying to calm everyone down, pushed down her fear and shouted, "It's fine, I can handle this!"
"I won't be a burden!" Sparks already flickered at the tip of her wand as she prepared to strike the approaching swarm.
"Kneel down!"
Suddenly, Iris, who was soaring overhead, let out a delicate cry.
Harry and the others were momentarily baffled — then something miraculous happened.
The charging spiders halted dead in their tracks.
Harry watched, wide-eyed, as at the sound of the little dragon's call, the spiders' eight legs all dropped to the ground as if broken.
It was utterly bizarre.
Without exception, the dense swarm knelt in unison, bowing towards the group. Some even shivered.
In the heart of the spider mass, a clear path had opened, leading deeper into the forest.
These spiders seemed to have emerged specifically to welcome Aris and his friends, moving with swift, coordinated precision — like a squad of well-trained soldiers.
Harry and the others were utterly dumbstruck by the sight.
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Drop power Powerstonessssssssss!
[Note: Read up to Chapter - 140 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]