After parting ways with Fred and George, Sean found an empty bench near the castle courtyard and sat down quietly.
The winter wind swept across the grounds while students continued celebrating Slytherin's overwhelming victory in the distance.
Sean leaned back lazily and sighed.
"Come to think of it… Christmas is almost here."
The moment he thought about Christmas gifts, his head immediately started hurting.
"There are way too many people I need to prepare presents for."
He rubbed his forehead helplessly.
"Although I still don't understand why a bunch of wizards celebrate a Muggle religious holiday in the first place."
Christmas was meant to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
Did wizards actually believe in Christianity?
Sean seriously doubted it.
"Whatever," he muttered. "The coronation ceremony's coming up soon too. I'll probably have the clone handle that."
Meanwhile, his main body still had to deal with Christmas preparations.
"There are definitely going to be a lot of visitors this year…"
Sean suddenly sat upright.
"Right. Snape's gift first."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"With the system reward I just got, it's finally time to meet an old friend again."
Earlier, after Slytherin won the Quidditch championship, the system notification had appeared immediately afterward:
[Congratulations to the host for changing Slytherin's reputation and earning the admiration of the professors.]
[Reward obtained: Intermediate Spell — Flame Barrier.]
Sean stood up and headed directly toward Hagrid's hut near the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
By the time he arrived, Hagrid was outside playing with Fang.
The enormous boarhound looked just as ugly as ever.
"Hello, Sean!" Hagrid greeted cheerfully. "What brings you here today?"
Sean didn't bother hiding his intentions.
"Actually, Hagrid, I came to visit another one of your friends today."
"Aragog."
The smile on Hagrid's face instantly froze.
After nervously glancing around, he lowered his voice mysteriously.
"Sean… listen, I know Buckbeak likes you—"
Sean immediately interrupted him.
"You renamed him Hurricane, didn't you?"
Hagrid coughed awkwardly.
"Well… yes."
Sean pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Hagrid," he said seriously, "who exactly taught you how to name things?"
Hagrid looked deeply wounded.
But before he could respond, Sean continued walking toward the Forbidden Forest.
"Sean! Wait!"
Hagrid hurried after him in panic.
"Don't go in there! Aragog's dangerous!"
Sean finally stopped and turned around.
"Hagrid."
His expression became unusually serious.
"You should stay here."
Hagrid blinked.
"If you follow me," Sean continued calmly, "you might lose a friend today."
Hagrid froze immediately.
Sean glanced toward Fang with open disgust.
"And keep your cowardly ugly dog with you."
Then, without another word, he disappeared into the forest.
Hagrid stood there completely stunned.
Beside him, Fang whimpered pitifully.
"No, no, Fang," Hagrid comforted quickly while patting the dog's head. "You're a handsome boy. Don't listen to him."
"Everyone in Slytherin talks like that."
"Woof!"
Fang immediately perked up and licked Hagrid directly across the face.
Meanwhile, deep inside the Forbidden Forest, Sean sighed softly.
"I hope that didn't hurt Hagrid too badly."
Although Hagrid acted cheerful most of the time, Sean knew he was actually quite sensitive about being a half-giant.
"But if I hadn't said that, he definitely would've followed me."
Sean shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Still," he muttered honestly, "that dog really is ugly."
"Mr. Sebastian."
A sudden voice echoed from somewhere within the trees.
"Long time no see."
Sean immediately stopped walking.
Several figures slowly emerged from the darkness between the trees.
Centaurs.
More than a dozen of them.
And unlike their usual appearance, every single one was fully armed.
Bows, spears, and blades gleamed faintly beneath the moonlight.
Sean blinked in confusion.
"Did something happen?"
One of the centaurs stepped forward.
He had a thick beard and a fierce expression.
"The patriarch ordered us to escort you safely to the territory of the Acromantulas."
The centaur studied Sean carefully before continuing.
"Strangely enough, the patriarch seems very pleased today. We aren't entirely sure why."
Then he placed one fist against his chest.
"My name is Bane."
"Nice to meet you, Bane."
Sean nodded politely.
"Lead the way."
The group immediately began moving deeper into the forest.
As they walked, Sean glanced around curiously.
"By the way," he asked suddenly, "the Forbidden Forest has plenty of dangerous magical creatures already. Why send an escort specifically for me?"
Bane's expression darkened slightly.
"The forest hasn't been peaceful recently."
Sean narrowed his eyes.
"An outsider entered the forest not long ago," Bane explained. "Something large. It's been fleeing through the woods and disturbing countless magical creatures."
"It's made the entire forest restless."
Sean immediately remembered the smugglers he'd killed earlier.
This probably was another butterfly effect caused by his existence.
There definitely hadn't been any such creature in the original story.
"Do you know what it is?" Sean asked.
Bane shook his head.
"No one's seen it clearly yet."
"We've only heard descriptions."
The centaur frowned slightly.
"It's extremely large. Covered in fur. And unlike any magical creature the forest has seen before."
Sean's curiosity instantly rose.
What exactly had those smugglers released into the forest?
After several more minutes of walking, Bane suddenly stopped.
"We can only escort you this far."
He pointed deeper into the forest.
"The Acromantulas' territory begins ahead."
His expression became serious.
"If we continue any farther, Aragog may interpret it as a declaration of war."
"That would become troublesome."
Sean nodded calmly.
"Thanks for the escort."
The centaurs gave brief farewells before quickly vanishing back into the darkness of the forest.
Soon, Sean stood alone.
He slowly turned toward the area ahead.
The forest there looked entirely different.
Dark.
Rotting.
Heavy with the smell of decay.
Thick strands of webbing hung everywhere like pale veils drifting between the trees.
"Good thing I'm not afraid of spiders."
Sean shoved his hands into his pockets and walked forward casually.
"If Ron came here alone, he'd probably wet himself on the spot."
The deeper he walked, the thicker the webs became.
Soon, they covered nearly every surface around him.
Some strands stretched across the ground so densely that Sean could actually feel them sticking to the soles of his shoes with every step.
Occasionally, palm-sized spiders skittered through the webs nearby.
None of them paid him any attention.
As Sean continued deeper into the territory, he suddenly spotted a massive hollow tree ahead.
A gigantic opening had formed in the dead trunk, creating something that resembled a tunnel entrance.
"Right," Sean muttered. "According to the original story, Aragog's lair should be behind this."
He stretched lazily.
"Way too easy to enter."
Then he casually stepped inside.
The moment he passed through the hollow trunk, it felt as though he'd entered another world entirely.
A kingdom ruled by spiders.
Massive Acromantulas crawled everywhere.
Some were the size of carriages.
Others were even larger.
The webs here were far thicker than those outside. Certain strands hanging from the cavern ceiling were actually thicker than Sean's arm.
.....
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