Allen hesitated for only a second, glancing between the tunnel leading to the spider room and the door leading to the Native American wizard. He then quickly used his wand to clean the conspicuous bloodstains on the floor.
With a Levitation Charm, he floated the prone Jewish wizard, followed by a Petrification Charm to lock the body into a stiff, limb-together position. Then, Allen moved stealthily back toward the stone chamber where the Native American wizard, Rajesh, was working.
Allen pushed the stone door open, using the bound Jewish wizard as a gruesome shield. Rajesh heard the grinding sound of the door, released the reptile skin he was working on, stood up, and turned. Seeing Howard entering, head bowed, he started to ask a question when he suddenly felt a wave of icy apprehension; Howard's posture was profoundly unnatural.
The short time difference proved to be Allen's crucial advantage. Before the Indian wizard could even reach for his wand resting on the wooden frame, a spell flashed from Allen's wand tip, appearing suddenly beneath the Jewish wizard's armpit and striking Rajesh squarely in the chest.
The tall, plump Indian wizard's eyes went wide. He stumbled backward, jumped to his feet, then collapsed to his knees, clutching his head, and began to weep in agony.
The Petrification Charm that followed Allen's attack instantly silenced the Native American wizard's screams. He crumpled to the ground, his arms and legs locked together, involuntarily clutching at his lower abdomen. Allen shoved the Jewish wizard's body aside, the body clattering hard onto the floor. Allen strode over to Rajesh and, his face utterly devoid of emotion, pulled the wand from his hand.
The Indian wizard's once clean-shaven face was now distorted and hideous under the stress of the Petrification Curse. His thick, black eyebrows resembled two writhing worms. His bright orange turban was scattered on the floor, emitting a strong curry odour that mixed unsettlingly with the stench of food scraps and reptile skin in the room.
Allen had made a point of studying the Disembowelment Curse after observing Borgin Burke use it (in the second film's implied context). The spell, initially devised by a 16th-century wizard named Urquhart for surgical purposes, was meant to safely remove a person's intestines from their body, to be forced back in with a simple counter-curse.
However, if the counter-curse was delayed, or if, like Allen, the intestines were removed too quickly without regard for the victim's comfort, this healing spell devolved into a brutally effective offensive curse.
Allen stared blankly down at the Native American wizard. His voice was calm and monotonous, sending a fresh wave of terror through the only part of the wizard still capable of feeling fear. "I have learned a great deal already from questioning your friend. If the answers you provide do not perfectly match his, I will subject you to an agony far exceeding what you currently experience."
The Indian wizard's eyes widened in horror. Where had this demon come from? He looked like a mere child, yet he wielded such savage power. He had never encountered such a cold-blooded and ruthless wizard in his life.
Allen waved his wand, freeing the Native American wizard from the petrification. Rajesh writhed uncontrollably in pain, covering his lower body and groaning as he struggled desperately to force the prolapsing tissue back inside.
Allen frowned, watching the man's frantic movements. "Do not move or scratch. If you rupture them, I will not be responsible. If you answer my questions honestly, I will cast the counter-curse that will shrink them back. Understand?"
Hearing this, the Indian wizard immediately let go of his hands and nodded frantically, which only prompted another round of agony as Allen, unfamiliar with Indian gestures of assent, misunderstood and took the movement as an attempt to attack.
After this brief but painful misunderstanding, Allen had no choice but to maintain his ruthless persona. He calmly posed the exact same questions he had asked the Jewish wizard. The Native American wizard, terrified of further pain, dared not conceal anything, responding with strained clarity, fearing that any deviation would earn him more torture from this seemingly demonic child.
"Very good. You did not lie," Allen said, tapping his wand against his palm.
"Can you spare me and Howard?" the Native American wizard pleaded hopefully for himself and his companion, hoping the boy would release them. But before he could finish, Allen's curse had already fallen.
Allen used the Petrification Charm to lock Rajesh rigidly to the ground again, then immediately cast the counter-curse for the Intestine Spell, forcing the tissue back inside. In doing so, the violent constriction of the spell severely damaged the Native American wizard's internal digestive organs, naturally intensifying his pain.
After dispatching the Jewish wizard, Allen had become cautious, choosing between immediately rescuing Albert or finding the Native American wizard to eliminate the potential threat and gather more intelligence. Like a cautious Ravenclaw, he had chosen to observe what the Indian wizard was doing.
Allen recognized the skin the man was working on immediately: it belonged to a magical creature known as a Plesiosaur. Similar to the hide of an Erumpent or a Fire Dragon, it possessed a significant resistance to spells.
While slightly less effective, it was soft and comfortable, and expensive robes often had it sewn into key areas for protection. These Fire Dragon-like reptiles were common in Scotland, the most famous habitat being Loch Ness, where they occasionally caused a stir among Muggles.
Allen, thinking that upgrading his attire couldn't hurt, carelessly stuffed the entire hide into his System Storage. Now, having cross-referenced the interrogation results, confirmed the intelligence, and dealt with the Native American wizard who might have noticed the Jewish wizard's prolonged absence, Allen used the Transfiguration Charm to turn their own clothing into ropes and bound them tightly together.
Then, with a Levitation Charm, he floated the two rigid bodies before him, returning to the long, deep corridor. Now, he was finally heading to the spider room to rescue Albert.
At the end of the corridor, a small wooden door lay on the floor, its hinges completely rotted away. Beyond it lay a small room.
A pervasive, musty odour hung in the air. Through the doorway, Allen saw countless oval cocoons of various sizes, all meticulously wrapped in layers of grey silk. Only a few of the ends were broken open, showing remnants of skin or fur left after the contents had been consumed by the spiders; most of them, of course, were not human-sized.
There were only a handful of large, human-sized cocoons. The one positioned prominently in the centre of the small room was wrapped in relatively fresh-looking grey silk. Allen instantly identified this cocoon as likely containing his brother. He breathed a shaky sigh of relief, calming the nerves that had been frayed by his earlier brutal decisions.
Allen did not rush. Though he could see the entire room in a glance, he could find no trace of the spiders themselves.
"Lumos." The light from Allen's wand tip illuminated the dim corridor. He paused at the threshold, wanting the light to reveal the spider tracks or expose any hiding spiders. He examined his surroundings meticulously.
In the narrow room, the wand light caught faint, thread-like reflections coming from certain areas behind the doorway.
Realizing that the spider inside was using the darkness to remain invisible, Allen took two steps back, briefly studied the petrified Jewish wizard, then pulled out his dagger and threw it toward the reflective threads. The dagger's tip didn't snap the web; instead, it stuck fast, suspended firmly in the sticky silk.
As a high-pitched, rustling noise filled the air, a massive spiderweb suddenly shot down from the ceiling toward the doorway. Allen was prepared. He commanded the two petrified wizards to float forward. The two wizards were instantly caught in the powerful webbing and swiftly dragged into the room. Layers of grey silk quickly enveloped their bodies, transforming them into two fresh, giant cocoons.
"Fiendfyre!" Blinding flames erupted from Allen's wand tip. They touched the spider silk and spread with terrifying speed. Sizzling and crackling sounds filled the air as fire leaped across the room. The flames spread quickly and fiercely, engulfing the scattered spider silk, and soon touched the other cocoons, presumably filled with mice, incinerating them with a snapping sound, and burning toward the centre of the room.
However, Allen hadn't anticipated that the spider silk would act as such a phenomenal accelerant, nor that the flames would spread so rapidly. This was a critical miscalculation. He quickly cast a spell to shield Albert's cocoon from the heat. Then, with a frantic movement, his wand released a massive jet of clear water, which poured onto the raging flames and extinguished them.
The air was thick with the smell of burning and charring. Allen then used a powerful "Ventus" spell to blow away the ashes and any loose, suspended spider silk. However, the dense, structural webbing remained clinging tightly to the walls and ceiling.
The commotion had clearly distressed the spiders. They dropped from the ceiling and began crawling around the edges of the room, rapidly disappearing from sight. The only sound was a rhythmic clicking as their massive limbs moved toward Allen.
These spiders were finally fully revealed. They were indeed much smaller than the Acromantula Allen knew—the truly giant eight-eyed spiders, which were the size of small carts. These creatures were roughly the size of large goats.
Their legs were unnaturally long and covered in thick hair, culminating in large, shiny pincers. Their coloration also differed from the Acromantula; while the larger spiders were completely black, these were a distinctive reddish-brown.
The Acromantula is native to Borneo and lives in dense forests. These smaller, web-building spiders were likely an Indian variant or distant relatives, and despite their effective webs, they were significantly weaker fighters individually.
"Stupefy!" Allen's spell hit the lead spider, which was crawling forward, but it only stumbled, twitching several times. The spell failed to achieve its full effect; instead, it merely enraged the creature. The spider continued to stagger toward Allen.
"Arania Exumai!" A flash of white light erupted. The heavy clicking of the spiders' feet grew louder. This was the specific spell used by the famous wizard (in the second film's adaptation) to deal with the Acromantula Hagrid had raised as a child.
The spell, uniquely designed to repel and influence the behaviour of spider-like creatures, was extremely effective. Just as they had fled the terrifying Basilisk, the spiders quickly retreated, scurrying and hiding themselves within the recesses of the room. Soon, the corridor in front of Allen was completely clear of arachnids.
Although the effect was only temporary, Allen seized the opportunity. Carefully controlling a burst of focused flame, he burned the remaining scattered cobwebs directly in front of him and reached the largest cocoon in the centre of the room.
"Diffindo!" The spider silk cocoon split open, revealing Albert's pale, drawn face.
Albert's limbs were numb from being constricted for so long. He lay there, opening his eyes. After adjusting to the sudden light, he realized the small wizard who had rescued him was his younger brother. "Allen, is that really you?"
"Albert, let's talk outside. I used a spider-repelling spell, but its effect won't last long. Those spiders will be swarming back soon." Allen quickly helped Albert out of the cocoon. Albert's legs were shaky, and he was physically weak from the prolonged lack of food.
Allen pulled out several vials of potent Healing Potion he had brewed during his Potions studies, but Albert shook his head, reaching into an inner pouch of his robes enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm. He produced several vials of Auror-specific potions. Allen quickly uncorked them for his brother.
After downing several vials of revitalizing and healing potions, Albert's colour returned. He let out a deep sigh of relief. "The potions will take a little while to fully kick in… Did you bring any food?"
"I didn't. There might be some curry in the other rooms, but I don't think you'd want it…" Allen finished, then handed the two confiscated wands to his brother, gesturing with his chin toward the wizards in the fresh cocoons. "Try these. They belonged to those two wizards. Use whichever one feels right."
Albert tried waving both wands, then gripped one tightly. "It's a shame I had my own wand, made of poplar and unicorn hair… Ollivander is definitely going to lecture me…"
Seeing that his brother had made his choice, Allen put his arm around Albert's shoulders to help lift him, but Albert, whose strength had mostly returned, quickly shrugged him off and took a few confident steps to show he was fine.
Just then, the clicking sound from the ceiling intensified, and the spiders, whose fear charm was fading, began to crawl out again.
Allen's gaze swept over the complex layers of webbing and the endless stream of spiders. Remembering how quickly the fire had spread, Allen's wand erupted with a focused streak of flame. Now that his brother was safe, Allen had no reservations. He wanted to use the raging flames to burn and kill every single spider.
But the flames that had just emerged were abruptly extinguished by a jet of clear water from Albert's wand.
"There are still people alive in some of the cocoons around us… at least the most recent ones. We cannot use the Fireball Spell recklessly, or we'll incinerate them," Albert stated, asserting his Auror responsibility. He stopped Allen's attack and instructed, "Allen, you keep scattering these spiders. I need a moment to recuperate and then I'll deal with them properly."
Allen used the spider-repelling spell again. However, since there was no other exit from the room, even after the charm faded, the spiders kept pouring in, some even blocking his escape route.
Thinking of Ollivander, the famous wand maker, one of his maxims came to mind: "If you seek integrity, look to the owner of a poplar wand…" Allen intuitively understood the significance of a wand reflecting its owner's character. Poplar was a reliable, consistent, and strong wand wood, making it ideal for witches and wizards with a clear moral conviction.
During this repeated confrontation, after Allen cast the spider-repelling hex for the third time, a flash of green light suddenly appeared. Albert had cast the Avada Kedavra Curse and felled a spider. The reddish-brown arachnid fell onto its back, its massive legs kicked the air several times, and then it went still.
Allen looked at Albert; the Auror's potions were working much faster than ordinary ones.
"Allen, you must never attempt or use this spell. It is an Unforgivable Curse. Casting it on a person is a serious felony and will land you in Azkaban for life… Our situation is currently exceptional, so this must be handled privately. Spiders are not considered people… You absolutely must not try this yourself," Albert warned solemnly after casting the spell.
In his eyes, Allen was still a child. If Allen were to use this on a classmate without proper control, even if he lacked the magical power to do more than give them a nosebleed, it would still be a catastrophic problem.
Even though he knew his brother was concerned, Allen rolled his eyes, annoyed at being treated like a child. "…Of course I wouldn't try to use it against people! I'm not an idiot… Albert, don't forget that I am the child who just saved you…"
Soon, as long as they carefully avoided the occasional web sprayed at them (as the Indian sorcerer had advised the Jewish one), the remaining spiders, which were far less powerful than true Acromantulas, were quickly dispatched by Albert.
"This place is too dangerous. I have to get you back first, and then I'll return to the Department to call for reinforcements…" Albert raised his wand and turned to his brother. "Allen, how did you even find me?"
"I guess my Divination scores improved dramatically after I picked electives in third year? I had a prophetic dream about your location, so I came to check it out," Allen lied smoothly, then recounted the events of the past few days, including his infiltration.
Albert harbored some doubts about the "prophetic dream," but he didn't press. He was secretly thrilled. Wizarding children were accustomed to occasional, unexpected talent surges in family members. While the Harris line was known more for Parseltongue and Obscurial tendencies, they did have a great-aunt with an eccentric personality who possessed minor prophetic abilities.
Albert was genuinely stunned that Allen had single-handedly defeated two adult wizards. Hearing the spells Allen had used, he opened his mouth, intending to counsel his younger brother about the dangers of Dark Magic at such a young age.
However, the final message he conveyed was more subtle: "I didn't realize your magical control was so powerful at your age. With your amazing memory, you must have read about the dangers…"
With that, Albert used his wand to split open the cocoons containing the petrified Jewish and Native American wizards. He then covered the two wizards with his own cloak, blinding them. Then, cleanly and efficiently, he cast the Obliviate Charm, wiping out the memories of the last few hours.
Eliminating the potential danger to his younger brother, Albert put his index finger to his lips, shushing Allen. He gestured, and they quietly walked back into the main corridor.
"Remember, you must never tell anyone you used that type of Dark Magic on people… While it might not technically be a crime in this specific context… it will severely damage your reputation. This building is protected by wards that prevent Apparition, like Hogwarts. We must exit through the main entrance before I can take you back…"
Albert finished, then, attempting to restore his image as a competent professional, he explained the reason for his capture: "Honestly, I could have easily escaped if it hadn't been for… well, if those damn spiders hadn't ambushed me with their master's help, those Indians would never have been able to handle a trained, professional Auror like me alone…"
"Why don't we go in and deal with them now? There are only five left inside. How many can you handle?" Allen was initially disgusted by his brother's self-serving explanation, but the thought of the Moonstone made him reconsider. Albert wasn't just any wizard; he was a trained Auror. Furthermore, Allen still had several powerful trump cards. The greed of his Ravenclaw nature urged him to seize the opportunity for the Moonstone.
"Don't be absurd! I have to get you back first!" Albert was growing impatient, but he softened his tone. "Listen, Allen, I appreciate you risking your life for me, but this is an adult wizard's war. I can't let you continue putting yourself in danger, or how am I going to explain it to Mum and Dad? Stop arguing so I can get you home…"
"But Albert…" Allen paused, formulating his last argument, "by the time you take me back and notify the Ministry of Magic… by the time you return, they will have already realized their two members were attacked and may have already escaped…"
Albert shook his head stubbornly. "There are no 'buts.' Their escape is not more important than your safety. Someone as talented as you must understand your importance to our family."
Allen reluctantly accepted Albert's decision. As a child, no matter how talented, it was nearly impossible to sway a determined adult. Furthermore, Allen had to admit the validity of his brother's logic; his push had been a momentary lapse of greed.
But just as they reached the main corridor—the middle door ground open.