Seeing Ron's pale, bloodless face, Harry had a faint feeling that something was amiss.
In his memory, Ron was not a timid person; he had never seen Ron so afraid.
Following the direction of Ron's finger, everyone suddenly turned around, and what met their eyes was a horrifying sight.
Among the surrounding trees, spiders as huge as carriage wheels densely surrounded them, leaving no gaps.
These behemoths crawled silently, blending in with the surrounding trees and bushes, almost becoming one with the night.
Looking closely, their appearance was chilling; their furry bodies were covered in black shells, and coupled with their massive size, they looked incredibly oppressive.
The huge chelicerae gleamed with an eerie green light, clearly indicating they were highly venomous and incredibly sharp.
Each Acromantula had eight dark, merciless eyes, coldly staring at the people in the clearing, as if looking at food on a dining table.
Above their heads, some smaller spiders climbed among the high treetops.
Silently, thick webs spread out, forming a dense cage that completely sealed off the sky above.
Seeing that everyone had discovered them, the Acromantula no longer concealed themselves and began to slowly approach the group.
"Haha, these people finally found us."
"How dare they cause trouble in the Forbidden Forest late at night? Don't they know this is the boss's territory?!"
"Catch these invaders and offer them all to the boss; the boss will surely reward us with more meat."
"Last time's beef was quite tasty; I hope the boss can give us more."
"I still prefer lamb; that unique flavor is simply exquisite."
"A bunch of uninitiated ones, of course, fish is tastier, one word — tender! The boss's employee said fish is the most expensive."
"Don't hurt those three students; just wrap them up with webs. Otherwise, we won't get any reward, and the boss will punish us."
The Acromantula started arguing amongst themselves, turning a perfectly good hunt into a food reminiscence session.
"Damn it!" Lupin cursed softly, "These are all Acromantula, XXXXX-class magical creatures, top predators of the Dark Arts."
"How can there be so many terrifying things in the Forbidden Forest! My attention was entirely on Peter just now, and I didn't even notice when they surrounded us."
XXXXX-class magical creatures!
Top predators!
With each word Lupin spoke, Ron's face became a shade paler.
For him, spiders were the most terrifying things in the world, and such large Acromantula were simply deadly.
He felt weak all over, barely able to lift his wand, and could only totter over to Harry's side, as if only by staying there could he find some sense of security.
Hermione also came to Harry's side and stood with the two of them. She forced herself to remain calm and began quickly recalling the contents of her textbooks, trying to find the weaknesses of these spiders.
Harry tightened his grip on his wand. He thought for a moment, took Sirius's wand from Ron's hand, and then handed it to Sirius.
Although the answer had not been fully revealed, subconsciously, he already felt that Sirius had not lied to him.
Harry's trust deeply moved Sirius. He gave Harry a profound look, then turned to Lupin and asked.
"Remus, who is the boss these spiders are talking about? Is it the Principal?"
"I don't know!" Lupin's face was grim. "I'm only responsible for teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts Class; I know nothing about the affairs of the Forbidden Forest."
"I only heard Mr. Scamander say that all the magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest are now under Hogwarts's jurisdiction."
"Is that so," Sirius's expression shifted slightly, "Remus, do you want to negotiate with these spiders using your identity as a Professor?"
"There are too many spiders; if we really fight, we'll be in danger today."
Hearing Sirius's suggestion, Lupin stepped forward and shouted at the Acromantula.
"I am Remus Lupin, a Professor at Hogwarts. I am taking my students to leave here now; please clear a path."
A Professor at Hogwarts?
If it's true, then respect must be given.
The Acromantula stopped their advance.
"Werewolf, you say you're a Professor, what's your proof? Where's your teaching certificate?"
Teaching certificate?!
Lupin was stunned. He had left in too much of a hurry today and hadn't thought of bringing his teaching certificate with him.
Moreover, he had transformed into a Werewolf, and his clothes were already torn; even if he had brought his teaching certificate, he wouldn't know where it had fallen.
Seeing Lupin remain silent, the Acromantula began to shout insults.
"He doesn't have a teaching certificate; he's a liar!"
"How could Hogwarts let a Werewolf be a Professor? He can't even come up with a good reason to lie!"
"He dares to insult our intelligence!"
"Catch him and offer him to the boss; let the boss identify them."
Hearing the insults from the Acromantula, Lupin smiled bitterly.
"I didn't bring my teaching certificate; negotiations failed. Let's figure out a way to break through."
"I'll lead the way, Sirius will cover the rear. Everyone follow me and charge forward, don't get bogged down in fighting, and be careful not to get tangled in the webs."
Sirius's face was grim. He didn't know if they could break through, as these spiders were extremely fast.
Except for Lupin, no one present could outrun these spiders.
He could only hold Peter's cage with one hand and silently grip his wand with the other, preparing to fight for his life.
Just as the battle was about to erupt, Sirius felt a familiar chill rise from the forest.
He looked up, his eyes suddenly widened, his pupils contracted like pinpricks, and the color rapidly drained from his face, as if all his blood had been frozen within him by this familiar chill.
Watching those shadows, like dark clouds, almost obscuring the moonlight, Sirius's breathing became rapid.
His throat emitted a low, hoarse sound: "The Dementor are here!"
Damn it!
He forgot about his status as a wanted criminal.
After transforming back into human form, these Dementor must have pinpointed his scent to pursue him.
Was he going to turn into a dog again to escape?
No!
Dementor are most sensitive to human emotions and are not very interested in other creatures, which is why he was able to escape Azkaban in his black dog form back then.
Lupin is currently in Werewolf form, and those Acromantula also won't attract the Dementor's attention.
Once he transforms into a dog again, the combat strength present will be reduced by one. In that case, Harry and the other two's situation would become even more dangerous.
Having spent over a decade in Azkaban, Sirius knew the terror of Dementor better than anyone else.
There were only five people present; even if all of them cast their Patronus Charm, they couldn't withstand the repeated assaults of so many Dementor.
Moreover, the Acromantula were still lurking around, eyeing them. No matter how he looked at it, this was a desperate situation.
He hoped the Professors of Hogwarts would notice the commotion here and quickly come to their aid.
The scene before them completely stunned Harry and the others. Their gazes were resolute, their wands in hand, ready to fight to the last.
A tragic atmosphere spread through the clearing for a moment.
Just then, Harry suddenly noticed that the Acromantula in front of them dispersed to both sides, revealing a narrow path wide enough for two people to walk abreast.
Immediately after, two familiar figures emerged from the path and appeared before them.
"Professor Swan! Professor Snape!" Harry exclaimed in surprise, the joy of escaping a desperate situation distorting his voice.
Sebastian smiled slightly at everyone: "Good evening, I hope we haven't arrived too late."
Then, without looking back, he softly said to the surroundings.
"From now on, I'm in charge here. Everyone, disperse!"
...
...
.