The Acromantulas, of course, weren't about to let a tasty meal slip through their mandibles. They raised their massive pincers and charged toward Edward.

Even Edward, who was tall and sturdy for his age, looked tiny compared to these monstrous spiders—especially since it wasn't just one, but a whole swarm.

"Here!"

The spiders opened their mouthparts, spewing sticky webs and green venom straight at Edward.

"Protego!"

A single Shield Charm was enough to block the first wave of attacks.

But Edward needed more than defense—he needed a path forward.

"Arania Exumai!"

A blinding white light shot from the tip of his wand, as dazzling as the midday sun.

He seized the moment to cast a Charm of Glory, sending waves of intimidating pressure toward the surrounding spiders.

The Acromantulas recoiled from the light, fear gripping their hearts as if this green-robed human was their natural predator.

The closest spider was knocked onto its back by the spell, its eight legs flailing helplessly in the air, looking no better than an overturned turtle.

Better to break one finger than to injure ten.

Edward leapt onto the soft underbelly of the flipped spider, driving his flaming sword downward with force.

His movements were almost feral, as if under some strange enchantment, making it impossible to track his sword's swings.

This was the "Cancel Curse" he'd learned from the Magical Knight's Handbook, a trick to shorten the gaps between attacks.

The spider let out a piercing screech of pain, startling bats and birds into a frenzied flight from the forest canopy.

It thrashed once before falling still.

"This way!"

Before the other spiders could block their escape, Edward shouted, rallying the group.

The unicorn, carrying three young wizards, leapt over the spider's corpse, hooves pounding as it bolted in one direction.

Edward followed close behind, his sprinting speed rivaling the unicorn's, though the dense forest slowed him compared to open ground.

Behind him, the enraged Acromantulas gave chase.

Some were distracted by their fallen kin—after all, a meal was a meal—but others, either unable to reach the corpse or craving human flesh, clicked their pincers and pursued Edward relentlessly.

If someone were soaring above on a broomstick, they'd see a bizarre scene unfolding in the Forbidden Forest: a wounded unicorn carrying three green-robed Slytherin students galloping at the front, followed by a student weaving through the trees with lightning speed, wand in his left hand, flaming sword in his right. And behind him, a relentless horde of Acromantulas.

"Arania Exumai!" Daphne, regaining her composure, cast spells to cover Edward and clear the path for the unicorn.

Spiders were closing in from all sides, but their numbers seemed to be thinning. They might soon break through the encirclement.

"Expelliarmus!"

"Protego!"

Malfoy and Pansy were doing their part to stay alive, shrieking as they fired spells in every direction, barely caring if they hit anything.

"Bombarda!"

"Incendio!"

Edward, slashing his sword to fend off the spiders, moved like Tarzan, leaping between tree roots.

He could feel the spiders' numbers dwindling—some driven back, others unable to keep up. But the unicorn's strength was fading fast. Despite its remarkable recovery, it was still gravely injured and running on fumes.

Its leg buckled, tripping over a deceptively thin but hidden root. The beast stumbled, sliding to the ground, and the three young wizards were flung off its back before they could even scream.

Edward's face darkened.

He sensed the forest's edge was close—trees were thinning—but they weren't safe yet.

The clicking of spider legs grew louder, closing in.

What could he do? How could he get the three of them and the unicorn out? Was their luck really this bad?

Wait—luck?

A spark of inspiration hit. Edward pointed his wand at his leather pouch and shouted, "Accio Felix Felicis!"

A small, shimmering golden vial zoomed out. Without hesitation, he uncorked it and carefully sipped a single drop.

A potion brewed by Professor Snape himself was bound to be top-notch, even if it were just a boil-curing draught. Edward wasn't about to chug half the bottle and turn into a giggling fool, so a drop would do.

Now, it was time to see a miracle unfold!

Outside Hogwarts, near the Forbidden Forest, in an octagonal hut:

Hagrid, the gamekeeper, was snoring soundly under a patchwork quilt.

His hound, Fang, was smacking his lips in his own little bed, dreaming of a feast.

Toot!

A shrill whistle shattered the peace, jolting both man and dog awake.

"What in blazes! Ow, my head!"

Hagrid, sitting up in a panic, smacked his head on a hard ham hanging above his bed, wincing in pain.

As he came to his senses, he realized his mistake.

"Oh, how could I forget I was boilin' water before bed?"

Hagrid pulled on gloves and hurried to lift the screaming kettle off the fire.

Beneath it, in the heart of the flames, sat a large, blackened egg.

The sight of it brought a warm smile to Hagrid's bearded face.

"Oh, my little darling! Just a few more days, and you'll be hatchin' to meet me, won't ya?"

"I oughta make the hut warmer for ya. It's too cold out there!"

Muttering to himself, Hagrid moved to close a gap in the window shutters.

But flashes of light from the Forbidden Forest caught his eye, accompanied by faint explosions.

Someone was in the forest! Poachers? Reckless students? Surely not those Weasley twins again!

Without a second thought, Hagrid threw on his moleskin coat, yanked on his boots, and grabbed the massive crossbow by the door before charging outside.

"Come on, Fang! This way!"

Luckily, this time he didn't get stuck in his own doorway.

Panting, he sprinted down the path toward the forest, his mind racing with thoughts of what could be stirring up trouble. The forest had been restless lately, its creatures on edge, and Hagrid had a bad feeling.

It was keeping him from properly tending to his precious dragon egg.

As Hagrid neared the forest, the sounds grew clearer: explosions, spellcasting, screams, hoofbeats, and… clicking?

"I'm tellin' ya, Edward, can't you do somethin' else? They're closin' in!" Malfoy wailed, on the verge of tears.

"I'm done for! I need a break!" Pansy gasped, her legs like lead, barely holding herself up against a tree.

Daphne was struggling to support the unicorn, trying to urge it forward, but an eleven-year-old girl could only do so much.

Behind them, Edward had felled three massive dead trees, setting them ablaze to slow the spiders' advance. No one knew how he'd managed it.

Was there a spell called "Tree-Chopping Charm"?

Only Edward knew the truth: with Felix Felicis coursing through him, luck was on his side. Those trees were already unstable, their roots weak.

Using spells and the terrain to his advantage, he covered the unicorn and his classmates, fighting and retreating like a war god.

The spiders' numbers were shrinking, but the survivors pressed forward tirelessly, climbing over their kin's corpses.

Whoosh!

The twang of a crossbow bolt sliced through the air, embedding itself in a towering tree.

"Get back! Back, you ill-mannered beasts!" Hagrid roared, charging forward with his giant crossbow and a blazing torch. "I told ya, no eatin' people! No hurtin' other creatures!"

The spiders finally showed signs of fear. They didn't attack Hagrid but hesitated to retreat until another bolt pierced the lead spider's jaw, eliciting a pained screech.

Hoofbeats thundered from the side, accompanied by an furious shout.

"Hagrid, I warned you! If they leave their territory, they'll pay the price!"

"Loose!"

Everyone turned to see five or six centaurs on a small hill, their human torsos atop equine bodies, four hooves planted firmly, tails swishing. Each held a bow drawn taut, arrows gleaming in the moonlight.

Edward had heard of centaurs in the Forbidden Forest but had never seen them until now.

"No! Don't hurt 'em! I'll talk to 'em! Stop!" Hagrid pleaded, trying to halt the centaurs' attack.

But their leader showed no interest in listening.

A hail of arrows rained down on the spiders. Edward seized the moment to cast another wave of Glory's pressure, and the Acromantulas finally began to retreat, vanishing into the forest, dragging their fallen kin with them.

The sickening clicking faded, and everyone—human, unicorn, and centaur—breathed a sigh of relief.

But the tension wasn't over.

The centaur leader and Hagrid stood locked in a heated glare.