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Chapter 1533: The Most Treacherous Path
Chapter 1533: The Most Treacherous Path
Aberforth Dumbledore felt utterly duped by Albert.
That young man had confidently proclaimed during the rally that once the Acromantulas left the Forbidden Forest and attempted to enter Hogwarts, the threat they posed would diminish significantly. However, he seemed to have "forgotten" to mention that the group they would be fighting alongside was a bunch of novices.
This was downright despicable and unforgivable! When Aberforth had led the attack on Hogsmeade before, his companions had been well-trained, battle-hardened, and mentally tough. In contrast, the group he was now responsible for was trembling in fear just from encountering the advance Dementors.
Who were these people, anyway?
It seemed like all the novices had been dumped on him?
"Can this ragtag group really hold off those giant spiders the size of cars?" Aberforth questioned his own judgment.
He soon realized how foolish his thoughts were.
Regardless, Acromantulas were classified as XXXXX, and facing such monsters would exert immense pressure on anyone. Those with slightly weaker wills would likely turn and flee upon encountering the Acromantulas, not because they were cowards, but because the prior assault by the Dementors had left them too shaken to even move.
Aberforth couldn't fathom why Albert had assigned those people to his team.
Frankly, using them as cannon fodder would have been more useful than having them dampen the entire team's morale.
If Albert hadn't left him with some reliable companions, Aberforth would have doubted that they could withstand the charge of these car-sized Acromantulas without everyone losing their nerve.
Fortunately, most of the members of Dumbledore's Army were brave, and the Spider Repelling Charm that Albert had taught them proved quite effective against these large spiders. Otherwise, he feared they would all end up as dinner for the arachnids.
"As long as you calmly cast the Spider Repelling Charm and focus your attacks, you'll find that those big guys aren't as scary as they seem," Aberforth said as he waved his wand, effortlessly taking down a large spider. He scanned the fallen students with a heavy heart; this was turning out to be a dreadful night.
"Are there casualties?"
Aberforth dreaded to think what would have happened if they hadn't had the Spider Repelling Charm specifically for Acromantulas.
Especially when they first encountered the wave of Dementors, Aberforth realized his team was a bunch of misfits.
Unfortunately, even with this realization, Aberforth didn't have the time to reorganize his team. All he could do was shout instructions for everyone to work together to counter the Acromantulas and wait for their reinforcements to arrive, hoping to turn the tide in one fell swoop.
Thankfully, the reinforcements that Albert had mentioned arrived just in time. The arrival of the centaurs, while not enough to completely turn the battle, injected a much-needed boost of morale, giving everyone hope that they could defeat these giant spiders and spurring them to fight with renewed vigor.
"Looks like we arrived just in time, but how did things get so messy here?" Hagrid panted as he hurried over with his dog Fang, a strong bow on his back and a rather "dainty" wand in his hand.
"It's a long story," Aberforth said with a sigh.
"Albert seems to think this place is the safest, so most of the novices were assigned here to hold off a group of giant spiders. And our helpers are all inexperienced newbies themselves," Aberforth explained as he waved his wand, but even his efforts were too late to save a young student from a surprise attack by one of the large spiders.
"Most of the competent ones would rather stay in the castle, preparing a big surprise for the Death Eaters who broke in," he added bitterly.
"This place is safer?" Hagrid asked, confusion evident in his eyes.
"Enough chit-chat; we'd better drive these giant spiders back as soon as possible," Aberforth urged, his tone leaving no room for argument.
He wholeheartedly agreed with Albert's assessment.
Despite the Acromantulas' high threat level, once they left the Forbidden Forest, they lost their element of surprise, making it much easier to hit them with spells. On top of that, the Spider Repelling Charm, which most witches and wizards were familiar with, had an unusual effect on Acromantulas.
As long as one wasn't too foolish, the risk to life wasn't as high as it seemed. While it appeared that they had suffered heavy losses, most of the deaths were simply due to bad luck or individual stupidity.
If this bunch of good-for-nothings were to face the Dark Wizards who had breached the castle, half of them would probably perish.
"Aberforth, it seems the Death Eaters are attacking Hogwarts Castle. Should we send some people back to help?" Colin Creevey asked as he and his brother, Dennis, joined the group.
"Why don't you take a group back to the castle?" Hagrid suddenly suggested. "Leave this place to us; I'll make sure Aragog's descendants are driven back into the Forbidden Forest."
"Don't be ridiculous," said Tonks. "If you want to help back at the castle, you should finish off these spiders first! We finally have the upper hand here; if we pull out now, the whole situation will fall apart." She wanted to knock some sense into these people; their heads seemed to be filled with porridge instead of brains, coming up with such ridiculous ideas.
Having taken Felix Felicis, Aberforth was clear-headed and knew exactly what he needed to do. If he dared to leave with his team now, the rest would surely fall apart.
It was better to stick with the current plan than to risk their foolishness ruining everything.
After the centaurs divided the battlefield, Aberforth led the reliable members who had regrouped and formed a cleanup squad, intending to take out some of the Acromantulas to reduce their numbers and create a numerical advantage for their side, swiftly diminishing the arachnid threat.
However, this was an unforgiving decision, as the incompetent ones would now have to face the cruel reality without the protection of their more capable teammates—being killed or devoured by the Acromantulas.
But some things couldn't be avoided, and it was better to cut them loose from the start than be dragged down by them.
If they weren't willing to help themselves, who could save them? Hagrid's spirit wavered as he looked at the student's corpse that had been retrieved from the jaws of an Acromantula; he couldn't accept that Aragog's descendants had killed a Hogwarts student.
"Snap out of it, Hagrid!" Aberforth felt exhausted; why did he keep getting stuck with such unreliable teammates?
(End of Chapter)
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