Behind the unicorns, the Acromantulas quietly emerged from the shadows. They silently encircled the edge of the forest clearing, all eight eyes focused on the sobbing Hagrid.
The tall unicorn slowly lowered its head, its smooth horn pointed threateningly at the numerous spiders in warning. In the tense silence, the blind Aragog separated his children and grandchildren and spoke loudly, "We mean no harm. My children told me that Hagrid was crying bitterly, and I could no longer see the road."
The small elephant-like Acromantulas stood resolutely in the dense forest, their dark forms illuminated by the silver-white glow of the unicorn's fur. The unicorn, still wary, kept its head lowered as it slowly backed away, creating a path for the Acromantulas to approach Hagrid. Anthony looked up at the giant spider as it approached, gently lifting Hagrid and offering him to Aragog's extended, furry legs.
"Ah... Aragog..." Hagrid cried out, his voice like thunder, "What kind of beast did this...?"
Aragog quietly supported Hagrid, his eight milky-white eyes gazing blankly at the sky. The Acromantulas behind him and those scattered in the woods no longer moved their large claws in the familiar way Anthony had grown used to, nor did they chatter about trivial matters. Instead, they watched silently. Faced with such a rare and tragic event, their usual curiosity or fear seemed insufficient.
In this unusual silence, Anthony casually approached a young Acromantula—though they all looked rather similar to him—and asked in a low voice, "Where is Aragog's ninety-seventh grandson?"
"The... ninety-seventh... grandson?" the Acromantula repeated with a clicking sound, seemingly struggling to comprehend the concept.
"The ninety-seventh grandson," the Acromantulas echoed, their voices spreading through the ranks. "The human is looking for the ninety-seventh grandson."
Finally, an Acromantula whispered, "I'm here." It ignored the unicorns' wary gazes and walked over as calmly as Aragog had, saying, "Don't you recognize me, Hagrid's friend?"
Anthony turned and took a closer look in the unicorn's soft light. "Ah, I see you have a white ring and two red rings on your legs—different from the others. I'll remember that next time we meet."
The spider raised its front legs, scrutinizing him with one of its many eyes, and then asked, "What do you want from me, Hagrid's friend?"
"You lot must know who hurt the unicorns, right?" Anthony asked, noticing the unicorns' ears quietly turning in their direction.
The ninety-seventh grandson replied, "Of course not."
"Do you not know what hurt the unicorn, or can't you tell me?" Anthony asked in a low voice. "Or perhaps I should ask if it was a rogue Acromantula that killed the unicorn, or if it was another creature that you fear to name, like how you fear to mention the basilisk..." As soon as he said the word, the Acromantulas around him recoiled, even the ninety-seventh grandson stepping back a leg. "I'm sorry. But if it's the latter, then you have every reason to be afraid."
The ninety-seventh grandson said, "We really don't—"
The Acromantula next to Anthony angrily swung its large claws and snapped, "Are you questioning our moral character or our courage, human?"
Anthony quickly responded, "I didn't mean that." He hadn't even known that Acromantulas had such concepts. "But you're all so calm, it's puzzling."
"We are calm because unicorns have nothing to do with us," said the ninety-seventh grandson.
"Because the thing that kills unicorns has nothing to do with us," the Acromantula that had spoken before added firmly, still bristling with anger.
Anthony looked into the eight eyes of Aragog's ninety-seventh grandson and couldn't help but imagine how spectacular it would be if it rolled its eyes one by one. However, the ninety-seventh grandson simply exhaled at the perceived stupidity of its relative, causing the white fluff on its jaw and lower lip to flutter and tremble—a gesture that was the closest thing Anthony had ever seen to a sigh from a spider.
"So, you do know what killed the unicorn," Anthony said, sensing the truth.
The Acromantula chattered for a moment but still insisted, "We don't know."
It was difficult to read the emotions of an Acromantula, but Anthony felt he was right. "Even if you don't trust me, why not tell Hagrid?"
The unicorns looked sadly at the Acromantulas. On the other side, Hagrid was still deep in conversation with Aragog, unaware of the small commotion Anthony was causing in the woods.
"It's something that doesn't belong in the Forbidden Forest," the Acromantula finally admitted. "It's a human."
The ninety-seventh grandson added, "We don't know much more, but Aragog said that since it has nothing to do with Hagrid, we won't interfere with matters between humans."
"Humans!" a voice behind Anthony said in disgust. "Humans again, always humans!"
Anthony turned to see a centaur with black hair and body standing in the woods, a bow slung over his back, his hooves digging at the ground. He spoke loudly, "What are you looking at, wizard? Haven't you realized yet? Our woods do not welcome you!"
The unicorns beside him also regarded Anthony with suspicion, though the Acromantulas remained indifferent.
"He is Hagrid's friend," said Aragog's ninety-seventh grandson.
"Hagrid is also one of them," the black centaur said disdainfully. "Spiders, your leader is too fond of humans. Just because Hagrid has earned our friendship doesn't mean his friends can expect the same courtesy. Especially..." He narrowed his eyes at Anthony. "Wait, I recognize you—you're the human who polluted the star track."
"What do you mean?" Anthony asked, puzzled.
The ninety-seventh grandson shifted uneasily and said, "Hagrid's friend, he is very powerful."
"Powerful!" the black-haired centaur roared, raising his bow in warning. "You'd better leave, wizard, and don't try to provoke us with your arrogance. Unlike Firenze, that coward, I do not welcome—"
"Bane! What are you doing?" Several centaurs suddenly emerged from the woods. Firenze, with his smooth white horse body, slammed into the black centaur, knocking him off balance.
Bane stood up, furious, and angrily kicked a nearby tree trunk with his front hooves. "What do you think you're doing?"
"What do you think you're doing?" Anthony retorted, adding a protective shield over Aragog's ninety-seventh grandson beside him. As Bane raised his bow and arrow, most of the Acromantulas had retreated, but this one giant spider still stayed close to Anthony.
The centaur named Ronan, whom Anthony had met once before, spoke sadly, "We are here to witness the funeral of the unicorn, Bane. We are not here to cause conflict."
Bane, still seething, spat back, "Look at this wizard closely. Do you really think he belongs here?"
"Firenze said he corresponds to that star," Ronan said slowly. Firenze nodded solemnly to Anthony, then looked up at the sky above the clearing. Anthony followed his gaze, but all he could see were clouds obscuring the heavens.