"By the way, there's one more thing," Professor McGonagall said suddenly, as if something had just occurred to her. She looked around once, then fixed her sharp gaze on the boy before her. "Where is Hagrid?"
She distinctly remembered leaving Morris in Hagrid's care the night before.
Yet now, only Morris had returned—alone—riding a Thestral.
That, clearly, was not right.
"If you're looking for Hagrid, he's still in the Forbidden Forest," Morris replied calmly. "We didn't find the Thestral we were looking for last night. Instead, we were attacked by wild beasts. He stayed behind to deal with the aftermath."
He paused briefly, then added, "Neither of us was hurt, so there's no need to worry."
"Wild beasts?" Professor McGonagall was momentarily taken aback. Then her expression softened into one of understanding. "I see."
In her mind, the explanation made sense. After encountering danger, Hagrid must have decided to send the student back first on a Thestral. In an emergency situation, such a decision was reasonable.
As Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts, she was well aware of the conditions within the Forbidden Forest. Being attacked by wild creatures there was hardly unusual.
Moreover, Hagrid was exceptionally experienced when it came to handling magical beasts. The boy standing before her didn't look frightened or shaken in the slightest, which suggested that the danger they encountered had been manageable.
As for whether they had located the missing Thestral—she found she no longer cared.
On further thought, even with Hagrid accompanying him, allowing a first-year student into the Forbidden Forest was still rather reckless.
"Very well," she said. "You may go."
Morris nodded, turning to leave.
"Oh—wait a moment," Professor McGonagall added, her gaze falling on the small wooden box he was holding. "That box… it was created using Transfiguration, wasn't it?"
"Yes," Morris answered simply.
Her eyebrows lifted slightly. "And what's inside?"
"Some insects," Morris replied truthfully. "I caught them in the Forbidden Forest. I've never seen anything like them in the Muggle world, so I was curious. I thought I might keep one as a pet."
Keeping an Acromantula, he reasoned privately, shouldn't be a problem.
After all, students were allowed to keep toads.
In his mind, the only difference between a toad and a spider was the number of legs.
"I see," Professor McGonagall said after a brief pause.
She withdrew her inquisitive gaze. Since Morris had answered openly, she didn't feel the need to pry further. There was no reason to suspect contraband, and students' choice of pets wasn't something she interfered with lightly.
What interested her far more was the boy's proficiency in Transfiguration.
"Goodbye, Professor McGonagall," Morris said, giving a small, polite bow.
She nodded in return, watching as he disappeared around the corner, the wooden box clutched securely in his hands.
"Not an easy student to deal with," she murmured, turning toward the Forbidden Forest.
She still needed to remind Hagrid to keep a closer watch on the Thestrals.
At the very least, they could not be allowed to carry young wizards into the sky whenever they pleased.
By the time Morris reached the Great Hall, it was already lunchtime.
The vast chamber buzzed with conversation, the long tables crowded with students from every house. Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, illuminating plates of steaming food.
Morris took an empty seat at the Ravenclaw table, placed the wooden box carefully beside him, and turned his full attention to his meal.
Though it couldn't compare to the lavish feast from the night before, the spread was still generous.
Roast beef, fried fish fillets, sausages with an almost unnaturally bright color, and a savory pie whose filling gave off a rich aroma.
Morris placed a sausage onto his plate and took a bite.
Mmm.
Compared to the cheap, greasy food from thirty-pence bags at the orphanage, this was on an entirely different level.
As expected.
"So this is where you've been hiding, Morris."
A voice sounded from behind him. Before he could respond, two red-haired figures slid into the seats on either side of him.
The Weasley twins.
"What's up?" Morris said, chewing thoughtfully as he glanced left and right. "By the way, how exactly am I supposed to tell the two of you apart?"
To him, they looked identical—same hair, same expressions, even the same tone of voice.
"Take a guess," said Weasley Number One, grinning mischievously.
Morris decided immediately that this was a trap and turned his attention back to his fried fish fillet.
"Alright, fine," the twin on his left sighed. "I'm Fred. He's George."
"Business first," Fred continued, leaning closer. "You were flying in the sky last night, weren't you? Don't bother denying it—we saw you waving at us."
Morris recalled the moment clearly. While riding a Thestral, he had indeed crossed paths with the twins.
"Oh. That's right," he admitted. "I was riding a Thestral."
"A what?"
"You don't know?" Morris looked mildly surprised. "The creatures that pull the Hogwarts carriages."
The twins shook their heads in perfect unison.
Morris briefly explained what Thestrals were and who could see them.
"Only people who've seen death can see them?" Fred exclaimed. "I always thought the carriages just moved on their own!"
"So did I," George added.
His gaze then drifted toward the wooden box resting beside Morris.
As if on cue, the box trembled—once, then again.
"What's in there?" George asked, eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"Insects," Morris replied casually, pressing a hand against the lid. "I caught them in the Forbidden Forest. They're… unusual."
Fred's eyes lit up instantly. "The Forbidden Forest? You actually went in there?"
"Hagrid took me," Morris said evenly. "It was because of the Thestral incident. But nothing serious happened. I wasn't punished."
"That's brilliant," George said, leaning in closer and peering through the cracks of the box. "So what kind of insects are we talking about?"
Morris didn't see any reason to hide it.
He lifted the lid.
Inside lay an unconscious Acromantula, its dark legs curled inward, its massive body unmistakable even in its juvenile state.
"Merlin's beard!"
The twins recoiled at the same time.
"That's an Acromantula," Morris said matter-of-factly.
"We know what it is!" Fred hissed, glancing around and lowering his voice. "But how in the world did you bring that thing out here?"
"I was planning to keep it as a pet," Morris replied seriously.
Silence fell.
For a brief moment, the twins simply stared at him.
Are all first-years like this now?
Keeping an Acromantula as a pet?
Comparing him to their brother Ron…
Well, Ron was practically a useless wimp who cried for their mum at the slightest trouble.
Seeing their reaction, Morris frowned slightly. "Is that… not appropriate?"
"It's not about appropriate," Fred said with a sigh. "An adult Acromantula can grow as big as a car. If someone finds out, you'll be expelled for sure."
"I see," Morris said, nodding calmly.
So this was only a juvenile.
Magical creatures really were far more exaggerated than he'd imagined.
While he didn't particularly dislike spiders, anything larger than a person was beyond his tolerance.
He closed the lid of the box and said evenly, "In that case, I'll find time to kill it."
His tone was so casual it sounded like he was talking about returning a book to the library.
The twins froze.
George reacted first, grabbing Morris's arm. "Wait! Don't do anything rash!"
Morris raised an eyebrow. "What do you want?"
"Let us borrow it," George said quickly. "Just for a few days. To… uh… study it."
Fred nodded enthusiastically. "Purely academic purposes."
Morris rubbed his chin, considering.
He didn't really mind lending the spider out.
"Alright," he said with a faint smile. "But I have one condition."
"What is it?"
"I want a dozen of your Fainting Fancies."
"Deal."
.
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