How It All Goes Down
Aragog
- With Professor Dumbledore gone, the whole school falls into fear again.
- Harry looks around for spiders as much as he can at school, but he's having trouble because none of the students are permitted to wander without a teacher present.
- The only person who looks as though he's really enjoying himself is Draco Malfoy.
- In Potions, Draco says openly, "I'm quite surprised the Mudbloods haven't all packed their bags by now […] Bet you five Galleons the next one dies. Pity it wasn't Granger —" (15.14).
- Harry barely holds Ron back from attacking Draco.
- One bright spot: during Herbology, Ernie Macmillan apologizes to Harry for suspecting him.
- He knows that Harry would never hurt Hermione.
- From the Herbology greenhouse, Harry also spots several large spiders "moving in an unnaturally straight line as though taking the shortest route to a prearranged meeting" (15.27).
- They're heading to the Forbidden Forest.
- Harry and (a reluctant) Ron agree to sneak into the forest under Harry's Invisibility Cloak, with Hagrid's large dog Fang for protection.
- First, though, they have Defense Against the Dark Arts.
- Professor Lockhart appears thrilled: he is sure that the Minister of Magic would not have arrested Hagrid without sure proof that he is guilty.
- None of the kids are convinced by this logic.
- That night, Harry and Ron creep out of the castle to Hagrid's cottage to get Fang.
- They then follow the spiders through the forest for at least half an hour, until Harry hears "something moving over there […] sounds like something big" (15.174).
- There's a sudden blaze of light in the darkness.
- It's the headlights of Mr. Weasley's enchanted Ford Anglia.
- It's been in the Forbidden Forest all this time.
- Distracted by the car, Harry doesn't notice something coming up behind him until it grabs him.
- It takes Ron and Fang, too.
- The thing carries Harry, Ron, and Fang to a large hollow in the ground, which is absolutely crawling with spiders.
- It is a giant spider.
- It drops Harry, Ron, and Fang in the hollow and calls for Aragog.
- Aragog is "a spider the size of a small elephant [….] There was gray in the black of his body and legs, and each of the eyes on his ugly, pincered head was milky white. He was blind" (15.104).
- Aragog is confused: "Hagrid has never sent men into our hollow before" (15.113).
- Aragog tells Ron and Harry that Hagrid raised Aragog from an egg.
- When Aragog was found and blamed for the death of a student, Hagrid sneaked Aragog out of the castle.
- Aragog describes the monster in the Chamber of Secrets as "an ancient creature we spiders fear above all others" (15.127).
- The spiders will not even speak its name.
- Harry and Ron try to leave, but Aragog won't let them: he won't eat them out of respect for Hagrid, but he can't deny his family their rights.
- As the spiders approach, a horn sounds.
- It's the honking of Mr. Weasley's Ford Anglia.
- Ron, Harry, and Fang climb in and the car races to the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
- They walk safely up to Hogwarts, leaving the car in the Forbidden Forest.
- Now, Harry and Ron have learned for sure that Hagrid is innocent.
- They don't know what to do next, though.
- Suddenly, Harry has a revelation: that girl who died?
- What if she's Moaning Myrtle?