No matter what Harry, Ron, Michael and Adam said to him, Thomas wasn't going to allow any of them with him in the Forbidden Forest. Worst come true, he could fight his way out and survive, but he wouldn't be able to do that if he had to defend his friends too, something that the four boys knew very well.
"No, I'm sorry, but this is something I have to do alone. No matter how strong I am right now, I can't save all of us if a fight broke out between us and the spiders."
"Thomas, please, don't be a hero," Harry said, grabbing his arm. "You don't have to face them by yourself. We're your friends, we'll help you, just like always helped us."
"Yeah, mate, we're not afraid," Ron added, nodding his head. "We've been through worse things than a bunch of trees and creatures."
"Exactly," Michael said, joining the chorus. "We've sneaked a dragon into the castle, fought a bloody dumb troll, protected the philosopher stone, and faced the dark lord himself. How bad can the Forbidden Forest be?"
"Very bad, actually. Now don't look at me like that, I too want to come in the forest but by Merlin's beard that place is worse than anything we had faced." Adam said, lowering his voice. "You know what they say about it, right? There are centaurs, acromantulas, and who knows what else. Not to mention the creature that is petrifying the students might be hiding there too."
"Adam, you're not helping," Harry snapped at him.
"Sorry, I'm just being realistic," Adam said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Look, guys, I appreciate your concern, but you're wasting your time," Thomas said, pulling his arm away from Harry. "I have to do this. It's more or less personal at this point."
"Personal?" Harry asked, frowning. "What do you mean?"
Thomas hesitated for a moment, then sighed. He knew he owed them an explanation. They were his friends, after all. They deserved to know the truth.
"Remember that devil woman that I fought both in the forest that night and when we defend the stone? She is here or at least she can whisper in my mind. "
The boys looked at him in shock, not expecting this kind of revelation from him, then again who would have?
"I didn't told anyone about this because frankly I thought I was going crazy, but truth be told is that I think She is after me and will do anything in her power to hurt my friends just to get me to become her dog."
The boys stared at Thomas in disbelief, trying to process what he had just said. Truth be told everyone had noticed that he had been acting strangely for the last few weeks, but they had no idea that he was hearing voices in his head. Voices that belonged to a woman who wanted to turn him into her slave.
"Thomas, mate, are you sure about this?" Ron asked, sounding worried. "Maybe you should talk to Madam Pomfrey or McGonagall or someone. They might be able to help you."
"No, they can't," Thomas said, shaking his head. "As much as I would love to ask for help from anyone, this… this is something that I will need to do alone. Look, you are my friends and while I might not act like a good friend, I still care about you all, after all what crazy bastards would spend their time with someone like me?"
That made the boys smile slightly, but it didn't take more than a few seconds before their previous expression made it way on their faces.
"Are you sure about this?" Adam asked his friends, surprising the others.
"As sure as someone walking to his death could be."
"Bloody idiot, don't jynx it!" Adam shouted while grabbing Thomas's robe. "Last time someone said that he got petrified! And by Merlin, I would rather not see another one of my friends like that. You hear me! You will come back alive!" Adam shouted before storming out towards the Ravenclaw tower.
Michael who was beside him, gave Thomas a pained smile before letting out a sigh. "He has a point, Tom. It's not easy to lose a friend even more so when the four of us are brothers in everything other than blood."
After saying that Michael too rushed after Adam, fearing that his friend and roommate might do something stupid.
As soon as the two Ravenclaw boys disappear in the maze-like castle, Harry walks closer to Thomas before putting a hand on his shoulder. "People think that I'm a hero when I was just a baby. What I want to say is that no matter what others say you don't have to please them."
"Thanks Harry, and don't worry, I don't plan to die anytime soon."
Meanwhile Ron… he didn't know what to say or do. On one hand he was happy that he will not have to risk his life, but at the same time, it felt wrong to let his friend risk his. Almost as if he was reading his mind, Thomas reassured him. "You know Weasley, compared you brothers, you might be the one how could become a living legend if you actually put your head at work. Then again that wouldn't have been my friend Ron, right?"
Ron only gave him a small smile before nodding. "Look mate, I know I'm not smart as the others, but even I can see that this is madness."
"Thomas the Mad, not a bad nickname don't you think?"
The ginger boy only shook his head before he and Harry made their way towards their tower, leaving Thomas alone in the hallway.
'You think I'm a fool for wanting to go there alone, right?'
[It tends to happen to your kind. Heroes born from necessarily are more than often forced to deal with fate of the world. Over the years I've seen what you can do and how much effort you put to make up for the things you can't, but there's an enormous difference between a high-class, something you aren't yet and an ultimate-class devil like that foul woman. As you sacred gear and mentor I will do anything to help you and listen well kid, I'm willing to erase the whole forest with my power if that will mean to keep you alive, but don't become like those idiots who got over the years the two dragon brats as their sacred gears. That will only end in you dying.]
'I understand… I don't like it, but it's the truth.'
[You are growing up and that will bring changes you might not like because it will disrupt your plans, but at the same time you will thank them in the end. Now go, get that dog and hunt for the spiders.]
It didn't took him long at all to sneak out of the castle before he reached Hagrid's house, sad and sorry-looking with its blank windows. When Thomas pushed the door open, Fang went mad with joy at the sight of them. Worried he might wake everyone at the castle with his deep, booming barks, Thomas quickly started to play with the dog before giving him some food.
"C'mon, Fang, we're going for a walk, albeit one that you will be the only to enjoy…" Thomas said and in the next moment the dog rushed out of house and into the woods.
While it might be a smart idea to go as quietly as stealthy as possible, Thomas knew that if what he had read about the acromantulas is true, then there was no point even trying that so instead, he took out his wand, murmured, "Lumos!" and a tiny light appeared at the end of it, just enough to let him see the path ahead for any signs of spiders.
And almost as if the world was helping him, Thomas and Fang stopped just as two spiders were hurrying away from the wandlight into the shade of the trees.
'So, they don't like the light… understandable, but still good to know just in case.' Thomas thought to himself as he and Fang continue onwards, scaring away any creature that might close or on the path.
Strangely enough, some of the spiders keep walking to the farthest point where the light shines before stopping, almost as if they were asking Thomas to follow them deeper into the forest. With nothing better to follow, Thomas and Fang walked behind them for about half an hour or so, and surprisingly enough Fang was very well behaved, listening hard for noises other than breaking twigs and rustling leaves. Then, at some point, when the trees had become thicker than ever, so that the stars overhead were no longer visible, and Thomas's wand shone alone in the sea of dark, they saw the spiders that he followed leave the path.
He could still feel them around, but despite knowing that they were there, he still tried to see where the spiders were, but everything outside his little sphere of light was pitch-black. Now, he had never ventured this deep into the forest before and above all he remembers the first thing Hagrid told them: to never leave the forest path. Sadly, there was no Hagrid here and he was probably miles away now, probably sitting in a cell in Azkaban, besides he did tell them to follow the spiders so what could go wrong, right?
Just as he was lost in his thoughts, something wet touched Thomas's hand making him snap out of his trance. Smiling at the dog, Thomas pats him on the head. He was glad that Fang was with him, even if he was a cowardly hound. And so, as he was petting the dog, Thomas decided to follow the spiders that had left the path, hoping that they would lead him to their lair.
"Come on, boy, let's see where they're going. Maybe they know something we don't." While saying that, Thomas tightened his grip on his wand and dagger before he stepped off the path, into the shadows following the darting shadows of the spiders into the trees. The boy and his dog couldn't move very quickly now thanks to the tree roots and stumps in their way, barely visible in the near blackness. The deeper they went into the darkness the colder it got and the only source of heat was Fang's hot breath.
Once again, the siders seemed to have been leading him deeper and deeper into the forest, and every time he stops, they too stop and wait patiently for him to move. After another half an hour of walking through the pitch-black forest, Thomas stopped. He was exhausted and thirsty, and he had no idea where he was going. Frankly at this point he wanted to see anything, even a slightly different tree would do so he looked around, but all he could see were the dark shapes of the trees, making him wonder if he had made a mistake by following them. Maybe they were leading him into a trap, no scratch that, they definitely were leading him and Fang into a trap.
Then, out of nowhere, Fang started to whimper as soon as loud cracks started to be heard above them, almost as if something big and with many long legs was making its way down towards them. Call him whatever you want, but even Thomas scared and because of that, he tightened his grip on his wand and dagger. Before pointing his wand upwards, trying to see what was coming.
Suddenly, he saw a pair of glowing red eyes staring at him from the darkness. They were huge and menacing, and to his horror, it came from a spider twice the size of the ones he had been following. Gulping loudly at the sight, Thomas steeled himself and put his guard up preparing himself for a fight.
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