The Acromantula turned her head in confusion, still looking at my ankles with no reason to look up—she was completely blind. My fear of her possibly wanting to eat me greatly diminished. She then realized something and yelled while moving away.
"Human from Hogwarts? No Hogwarts!!"
I scoffed a bit before shaking my head—though it had no effect since she couldn't see.
"No Hogwarts, I promise."
The spider fell silent, her blind gaze drifting a thousand miles away.
She finally moved closer to me, standing right beside me.
"More food?" she asked as I began leading the way outside the forest.
I nodded with a chuckle. "Of course. I'll make sure to feed you well."
As the lights of the castle began piercing through the thick trees surrounding us, I wondered what name I could call her. The thought came to me suddenly, slipping out instinctively.
"Gaynor. I'll name you Gaynor," I said, looking down at the large spider—easily my size if I were lying down.
She froze for a moment, and I paused to watch her blank stare as she processed the name—her eyes not seeing anything anyway.
"Gaynor… Like!" she chirped, skittering quickly to my side, pleased to have a name.
Exiting the forest, I made my way to the Whomping Willow, pressing the knot at its base to freeze its wrath.
'It's early. I don't need to waste energy. I usually don't have Val with me, but it's cleaner here for him, and it's already past curfew.'
"Down here," I said, pointing into the small cave. Gaynor skittered inside at lightning speed, somehow knowing it was there despite her blindness.
She scurried along the walls and ceiling of the tunnel, preferring that over the soggy ground I walked on.
"Cave… Like! Like… Nest!" she shouted excitedly, darting ahead like a child with a new toy.
I caught up when we reached the trapdoor. Opening it allowed Gaynor to skitter into the space, her movements filled with wonder. Like a new world, she had to touch and feel everything to "see" it for herself.
I led her to the room opposite mine. "You can stay here."
It was a shabby, torn-up space I'd never gotten around to cleaning, but from what I knew about spiders, they preferred making their own homes anyway. She crawled across the room, from floor to ceiling, leaving a trail of webbing as she began constructing her nest.
I left her to it and entered my own room, locking the door behind me—just in case. I slipped under the covers, the remnants of Vitamix still humming through my body, refusing to let me rest peacefully.
I tossed and turned beneath the blankets, always making sure Val was above me so I wouldn't crush him. It took a long time, but eventually, everything faded to blackness as I finally fell asleep.
I sighed as I woke up. A strange warmth covered and restrained me as I tried to move.
Opening my eyes, I was met with the close-up image of Gaynor's face, her pedipalps twitching as she slept peacefully.
"What the—urk—!?" I muttered, a sharp pain spiking in my skull, like the migraines I'd get before a magical release.
I realized my body was naked aside from mostly torn underwear, and I was in a different room than the one I had fallen asleep in.
'It can't be… I only sleepwalk on those nights. Like tonight… A side effect of Vitamix!?'
"No, no. Please no!" I began to panic—not because of the man-eating spider I was sleeping beside, but the creeping dread overtaking every fiber of my being.
Trying to get up, I struggled against the webbing I had unknowingly slept inside.
Gaynor's many legs began to shiver as she woke, her pale white eyes slowly opening. She twitched toward me, her clawed feet tapping against my skin.
"Change already?" she asked, her voice tinged with disappointment.
I had no idea what she meant, but pushed the thought aside.
"Y-yes. Gaynor, would you mind helping me out of your webs so I can get you breakfast?"
She chittered, then used her multitude of legs to cut me free.
"Had meal… Not hungry," she mumbled, clearly tired.
I quickly checked my arms and legs—still whole. I wondered what she'd eaten. Maybe I'd given her something while sleepwalking. I chose not to ask. Instead, I seized the opportunity to leave before she got hungry again.
The air outside was frigid. I shivered as I headed back to my room, noticing the door was still ajar from last night. I went inside regardless.
"There you are! Where are we?" Valdemar shouted, slithering across the bed sheets.
I sighed in relief, though a part of me still worried about what Gaynor's "meal" had been.
"This is my special room Dumbledore lets me use," I explained while searching for my wand.
Val hissed, his eyes darting around. "It's nice, but I like our normal room better."
I scoffed, repairing my clothes with a flick of magic.
"I'll get you back to your tank—you can have plenty of breakfast."
Val slithered up my arm eagerly as I got dressed.
"Hey, if this is your room… who's in the other one you slept in?"
I paused, knowing snakes and spiders didn't usually get along. But I decided to break that ice.
"Her name is Gaynor. She's an Acromantula."
Val coiled around my neck as I put on my robes. "Wow… I've never seen one of those before!"
I scoffed at his childlike curiosity, admiring his lack of prejudice.
"Maybe you'll meet her tomorrow. I think I'll need to come back here anyway," I said, rubbing my temple. A headache was already forming.
At school, my mind couldn't stop spinning. Why Gaynor's nest? Of all the places I could sleepwalk to…
'This isn't the first time I've woken up somewhere strange. Last time, it was the woods on our property…'
Still, the idea of moving without memory—it was deeply unnerving.
I slipped into my room unnoticed; most students weren't awake yet.
Feeding Val and watching him splash around his tank, I sat down at my desk and sighed.
"A monster raised in Hogwarts… one that only a true Heir of Slytherin—who created it—could release. A monster spiders fear above all else," I murmured, examining the charred remains of a destroyed book.
The sinking feeling in my stomach grew stronger as I took my medicine.
"Monster? What kind?" Val asked, picking out the familiar word.
I shook my head, my brain foggy. "Who knows?"
'Either way… if I can stop that creature, this will stop happening. Doesn't matter if—even through sleepwalking—I'm…'
I couldn't finish the thought. The idea of doing something vile in my sleep was too much.
"The best lead I have is what the creature does…"
Just then, a loud knock interrupted my thoughts—harsh, unlike Pansy's usual calming knock.
"Hide in my sleeve," I told Val, holding out my hand.
He quickly coiled up my arm as the knocking grew louder.
I rushed to the door and opened it.
"Professor Snape?" I asked, surprised to see him glaring down at me.
"The Headmaster… has summoned you."
Shock and confusion hit me. I gulped, wondering if Dumbledore also suspected me.
I nodded silently and followed Snape toward Dumbledore's office.
At the base of the stairs, Snape gestured silently, indicating I'd go up alone.
"Good luck… Mr. Peterson."
I nodded, ascending the spiraling staircase.
At the top, I pushed open the slightly ajar door and glanced around.
Fawkes' perch was empty—no phoenix, not even ashes.
My attention shifted to Dumbledore's desk. A large, full-length mirror stood in front of it, reflecting sunlight through the nearby window.
I stepped closer and saw my own reflection, moving in sync.
The mirror's surface shimmered with a strange, cloudy sheen. I couldn't see the room around me in its reflection—only myself.
But then, that began to change.