Chapter 313: I Have a Backup Plan
Chapter 313: I Have a Backup Plan
A loud clicking sound emanated from the bushes nearby, and soon, several large spiders with fluffy bodies, long legs, massive pincers, and eight eyes scurried out from the foliage.
"Wizards!" the giant spiders exclaimed excitedly, their many eyes fixed on the three humans before them as they clicked their pincers menacingly.
"Kill them!"
"Eat them!"
Albert saw the fear in Isabelle's eyes, though the brave girl tried her best to hide it. The prospect of becoming a meal for these monstrosities was terrifying.
Compared to Isabelle, Rowena Smith seemed utterly exhilarated. Her deranged enthusiasm was palpable as she had been biding her time, waiting for this moment to feed Albert and Isabelle to the spiders as revenge against the Wildsmith family.
"So, it seems you've been planning to feed us to these spiders from the start," Albert commented, his gaze unwavering.
Driven by rage and hatred, the giant spiders charged towards the trio, intent on tearing them to shreds.
"I hate spiders!" Albert muttered. With a swift motion, he pulled out a talisman from his waist and brandished it at the oncoming arachnid. The spider crashed into an invisible barrier, ricocheting off and falling to the ground with a heavy thud.
"Oh? So, you have some magical trinkets after all," Rowena remarked, her eyes narrowing as she studied Albert. "But they won't save you."
"I know they won't," Albert replied nonchalantly, letting the talisman drop to the ground as he took a step towards Isabelle. "I just wanted to do something before we die. No regrets, you know?"
"Something?" Rowena waved her wand, holding back the advancing spiders as she sneered, "Last words before you die?"
Ignoring her, Albert turned to Isabelle, his eyes earnest as he asked, "Will you be my girlfriend?"
A profound silence fell upon the forest.
"How amusing!" Rowena's eyes glinted with amusement as she watched the unfolding scene, finding it unexpectedly entertaining. She waved her wand, keeping the spiders at bay as she prepared to enjoy the show. "You know, your luck really is quite terrible."
"What do you mean?" Albert inquired, his gaze never leaving Isabelle's face.
"Well, initially, I didn't plan to kill you," Rowena explained with a twisted smile. "I was going to let the werewolves bite you and turn you into werewolves yourselves. I can just imagine the look on those old fools' faces when they found out their precious candidates had transformed. It would have been hilarious! But unfortunately, those two werewolves managed to break free from my Imperius Curse and escape."
"I consider myself lucky, then," Albert said calmly. "I'd rather die than become a werewolf."
"Is living so undesirable?"
"Of course not, but you're not giving me a choice."
"Ah, yes, blame the Wildsmith family for this predicament," Rowena said with feigned sympathy. "According to legends, when two werewolves mate during a full moon, they give birth to intelligent wolves. If it weren't for that unfortunate accident, we might have witnessed the truth behind that tale."
"Your morbid interests are repulsive," Isabelle spat, her eyes flashing with disgust before she turned back to Albert, searching his eyes as she considered his proposal.
"So, that's why you shared all that werewolf knowledge with us," Albert realized. "You wanted to see the fear in our eyes?"
"Those werewolves were going to die anyway, so I figured I'd make use of them," Rowena shrugged, her callousness appalling. "At least you would have continued living, in a manner of speaking. But since they escaped, I have to settle for feeding you to the spiders."
"I heard you're quite enthusiastic about hunting werewolves. Are you afraid your plot will be exposed?" Albert asked, his tone laced with sarcasm.
"Enough chit-chat," Rowena interrupted, clearly uninterested in Albert's words. "Those big guys are getting impatient. You have thirty seconds left. Thank my kindness for that!"
Albert barely registered her words, his mind working as he muttered, "You deliberately enraged these spiders and led us here... so that we would be killed by them. Two Hogwarts students, tragically slain by a pack of rabid Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest. A believable story, indeed."
"You're smarter than you look," Rowena acknowledged, her eyes narrowing. "But I'm curious, what drove you to make such a foolish decision? Did you honestly think you could defeat me?"
As Albert ignored her, continuing to focus on Isabelle, Rowena continued, "Twenty seconds left!"
"Be my girlfriend," Albert repeated, his eyes never leaving Isabelle's.
"Okay," Isabelle whispered, though she had no idea what Albert was planning. She placed her hands on either side of his head and leaned in, kissing him. As she did so, she subtly slipped her finger into his ear, blocking it.
Albert, in turn, wrapped his arms around her waist.
"How touching," Rowena remarked, her eyes narrowing. "I almost feel sorry for you. Ten seconds left. Cherish these last moments."
Suddenly, Rowena fell silent, her eyes narrowing as she watched Albert pull out a cylindrical object from his pocket.
"Don't bother struggling," she warned, pointing her wand at him. "Drop it."
The cylindrical metal object slipped from Albert's grasp and fell onto the leafy ground, emitting an eerie sound.
In the moment before Rowena collapsed, her vision inverted, she saw Albert and Isabelle—who had just been standing there—suddenly...disappear! Impossible!
That was the last thought that flitted through Rowena's mind before she lost consciousness. She had been outplayed by that cunning boy.
The once-arrogant witch now lay unconscious on the forest floor, the strange sound still echoing through the Forbidden Forest.
Even the surrounding spiders, who had been watching the trio intently, were affected, their bodies swaying unsteadily as if they might topple over at any moment.
The eerie sound didn't last long, and soon, a hand reached down to pick up the fallen object—the Dementor's Kiss.
And that hand belonged to none other than Albert Anderson, who had just reappeared with Isabelle, both of them now wearing earmuffs to block out the terrible sound.
Standing beside Albert, Isabelle was in the midst of casting the Imperius Curse on the spiders, controlling them despite the effects of the Dementor's Kiss. Though the spiders had been weakened by the sound, their nature as dark creatures granted them some resistance to its effects.
"It looks like you're the one who lost, Professor Smith," Albert said, deactivating the Dementor's Kiss and slipping it back into his pocket as he strolled over to the unconscious Rowena. Smiling down at her, he added, "You lost from the very beginning."
I, Albert Anderson, always have a backup plan.
(End of Chapter)
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